Come What Be
by Emotional-Hikari
Summary: -Complete- The sole heir to the Malfoy family, Draco had long to escape the torturous cycle that has plagued him since birth; and now with an arranged engagement hanging over his head, can he find his peace with the lover he's had for 9 years? -AU-
1. Chapter 1

Okay – yes, I know – I've got a few other things that need tending to; like werewolf chronicles and the current standing Hogwarts Academy … I'm working on them, honest!

Anyways – in my bout of insomnia, this idea came to me from the blues, and I really had no intention of actually writing (well, not this soon at any rate); but after reading and finishing a fanfic earlier, I just got this huge urge to write and this was the first thing on my mind… and at 3 in the morning no less (damn, why does creativity have to come to me when I'm tired…)

Anyways – a little different, maybe; hope it'll be liked and working on chapter as we speak (I may be up all night at this rate …)

**Warnings:** AU (Alternate Universe); no magic is involved; may contain some minor sexual content as the story progresses.

I, in no way, own Harry Potter or any of the characters I'm about to exploit in this story. All characters, unless said otherwise, belong to J.K Rowling. She's making the money, not me…

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-- Chapter One --

Chanya merely stood and watched with dark eyes, as her gaze followed the young man pacing frantically about the room, threading his hands through his smooth, silk, silver blond locks. This pacing was quite normal for this man, given the current situation – anything that had to do with his father always seemed to leave him in a nervous wreck.

'Fuck! I can't find my shoes!'

'They are where they have always been, Master Draco – in the hall closet.' Chanya calmly stated; icy grey eyes glared at her, before he marched past her to the closet door situated to the left side by the front door. The raven head girl shook her head silently, following behind him as she handed him his coat. Draco only hummed as he took his coat from her, Chanya folding her hands in front as she awaited further instructions.

For as long as she could remember – ever since being sold to the wealthy and lucid Lucius Malfoy by her own mother, Chanya had been serving the Malfoy family since that faithful day. In fact, she was eternally grateful that her mother had ignored her beggings and carelessly sold her off – she was living a far better life then she could ever imagine; even if she was just a simple servant.

'Will that be all, sire?' She asked when Draco had not given her any more instructions. The blond sighed before staring at the door with slight dread; if there was one thing he hated most in the world, it was being summoned by his father.

'Yes, I shall be on my way now. Did my father ask what he wanted from me?' he asked in a begrudging tone; Chanya couldn't blame him. While she was indebted to Lucius Malfoy for what he has provided for her, she had liked him no more then she did eighteen years ago.

'He simply asked for your audience; Mister Lucius did not say what he wanted.' Draco grumbled under his breath as he headed towards the door. He paused with his hand on the handle, turning back to face her with a slight sigh.

'This will probably take a while, knowing how he likes to brag on about what it is to be a _"Malfoy"_.' Chanya only nodded her head, before calmly asking in a steady tone.

'Shall I inform – _him_ – that you'll be running late today?'

'An hour at least, maybe more depending on what it is the old man wants.' He added with a slight growl in his tone. Chanya bowed her head, saying she would be sure to tell _him_. With that, Draco nodded, before pulling the door open and trudged out of the apartment.

Chanya didn't move from her spot, staring at the door expectantly as she waited for the predictable.

Draco appeared a few minutes later, a rather annoyed expression on his face mixed with slight embarrassment.

'Have you seen –' the question was barely asked when the dark haired woman held up a set of silver stark keys attached to a ring with a sleek black holder. Draco narrowed his eyes at her, Chanya remaining unaffected by the imaginary draggers he was shooting at her. He muttered a small thanks, before walking out the door again.

She shook her head; she had long learned that whenever Draco was frustrated or flustered, he tends to be rather forgetful or clumsy. A small smile graced her lips at the thought; she had not come to serve under Draco until he had turned seventeen and up till then she had been bouncing between learning under Lucius himself or acting as a serving-girl to his wife, Narcissa Malfoy. She had been worried about catering to the young heir's whims, as she had come to familiarize herself with the usual selfish, bratty, spoiled behaviors all rich and high society children seemed to have; it had surprised her very much that Draco was insightful, considerate and maybe had the hint of an artistic soul.

A quick glance at the wall clock told her that in about ten minutes, _he_ would be off from work and so she would call _him_ then to inform of Draco's tardiness.

-8-

He stared up at the large manor with dread, breathing out a huge sigh as he steeled himself both physically and mentally for this. He left this prison five years ago and had every intention of staying as far away from it as allowed; unfortunately, someone seemed to think otherwise and he was constantly summoned back by his father for whatever meaningless dawdle the older Malfoy had to dish out for him.

_Just go in and get this over with! Faster I do this, the faster I can get out of here!_ Draco told himself mentally; he glanced down at his watch and seeing the time forced him to take the first initiative step towards the grand, white, stone steps that led up to the elegantly carved oak doors of the manor.

The blond had barely rung the door bell once when the large doors opened inwards, an elderly looking man dressed in a dark blue tail tuxedo, crisp white gloves covering his hands, and smart black slacks greeted him, his face expressionless.

'Welcome back, young Master Draco. Your father is expecting you in the main reading room.' He bowed so low, Draco marveled that the man didn't fall flat on his face from imbalance. Draco walked past the elderly man, as he closed the doors behind them, walking ahead of the blond and led him to the room where Lucius was waiting for him.

He dreaded every step as he trailed behind the butler; what could Lucius possibly want this time? Another lecture on business? Or perhaps another painful reminded that Draco is his heir, and a Malfoy. No matter what the topic, the blond knew he'd despise it all the same.

They soon came to the end of the east hall, standing in front of two large, brilliantly carved oaken doors, the handles shining pure silver in the sunlight shining through the window at the end of the hall. The servant stepped in first, giving a formal bow to the occupants of the room; Draco could've sworn the man was bowing even lower than before, and it still amazed him he hadn't toppled over.

'The young master has arrived, Sire.'

'That will be all, Acker.' Draco inwardly flinched at that cold, drawling voice as it floated gracefully across the room. Acker slowly backed out of the room, not once looking up from his bow, as he closed the doors behind Draco, also closing the only means of escape the young blond had.

Finally gathering his nerve, Draco place a stone cold mask on his face as he stared eye to eye with the man he begrudgingly called his father.

Lucius Malfoy smiled carelessly at his son's discomfort; try as he might to hide it, the older man could see and tear apart through any and every mask his son could put on. He deprived great joy in seeing his son squirm under his unfaltering gaze, but decidedly played oblivious.

'Have a seat, son.' He demanded coolly; Draco only gave him a curt nod, before moving to sit in the large, antique looking armchair across from his father. His mother was sitting next to him on the sofa, holding her head high and her back straight as though it were a throne made to her liking, and she the queen who the world catered to hand and foot.

Draco grinned inwardly to himself and chose the most inappropriate, improper way to sit possible; Narcissa visibly winced at his posture, but refrained from being outspoken about it. She was not one to be pegged for a daunting mother for nagging her twenty-four year old son to sit up straight.

Draco only enjoyed the minute of silent laughter for a moment, before scowling in his father's direction.

'So, what do you want this time?' he asked roughly, slouching even further back against his chair, noting the small muscles in Narcissa's face were twitching slightly. Lucius didn't seem to care for his son's lack of proper posture, and simply gazed at him with his admirable, but piercing smile.

'Come now, I cannot wish to spend time with my only son?'

'Cut the shit-talk, and just tell me – what the _fuck_ you want!' Narcissa couldn't keep her tongue this time, staring at Draco slightly aghast.

'Draco Malfoy! That is no way to talk to your father!' Lucius calmly raised his hand to silence his wife; Narcissa subsided back to her previous silence, but her jaded smile was no longer set on her face. Draco mentally added another notch to his personal scoreboard in his mind.

'Foul tongued as always, I see.'

'Only seems to happen around you, _father_.' He whispered spitefully, hoping full well that Lucius heard him; if the older man had, he chose not to acknowledge it. Instead he reached calmly for the tiny glass resting on the end table near the sofa, taking the smallest sips from it as he gathered his thoughts.

'You will be turning twenty-five soon, Draco…' he began; Draco scoffed and rolled his eyes. Was that all his father had to say to him?

'Yeah, no shit. Surprised you even remembered I have a birth date.' Lucius ignored him, gently swirling the contents of his glass in his hand.

'As I was saying – since you will be twenty-five soon, it's time to start considering the future, Draco.' He paused to take another few small sips from the glass; Draco furrowed his brows – he did not like where this was heading.

'What do you mean "consider" the future? I've got plans of my own, and it doesn't involve you meddling in my personal space.'

'Aha – you have so much to learn, my son. I believe it's about time you settled down and learn the workings of the company; after all – the only ones capably of running such a grand business is a Malfoy.' That got him; Draco wanted nothing more then to jump out of the chair and head to the nearest exit. He knew now what his father was planning.

'No – fuckin' – _way_ – am I going to be bartered off to some rich, snobby whore so you can reek benefits off the in-laws!'

'This has been in discussion for quite some time now; I'm sure you are familiar with the Calabrese? Margalita was here a few years ago with her daughter.' Draco knew all too well; he hadn't met the daughter, but he had been forced to greet the mother.

Margalita was the typical socialite woman, always overdoing everything she did to impress her guests or her host; she donned herself with lavished clothing, rich heavy jewelry and the drowned her skin in the utmost ungodly of perfumes. She had tried too hard to make an impression on Draco at their first meet, in hopes of having an edge on the long stand rival between their two families. Perhaps she felt if she could forge a bond through the child, she could influence the father; an exploit Draco had spat at the minute he was left alone.

'Yeah, I remember her – the ugly bitch who bathed herself in that goddamn piss she calls perfume.' Narcissa opened her mouth to speak, but Lucius just calmly raised his hand, once again silencing whatever nag was to come.

'Quite – her daughter, Anabel, just turned twenty, so I've been told. Margalita has decided that it's time for her daughter to marry, so we have discussed this.'

'Forget it! If you think for one moment, I'm going to let you arrange a fuckin' marriage for me –'

'Whether you want to or not, isn't the concern here, Draco.' Lucius put the glass back down on the end table; his previous smile had gone and a dangerous glint came to his eyes as he stared hard at Draco. The young blond fidgeted ever so slightly, and Lucius knew he had his attention now; how easy he could manipulate the young man from determined anger to doubting fear with a mere glance.

'Now – you will sit patiently and listen to every word I have to say. I shall be explaining the details of this arrangement to you, and I expect every single word to sink into that the thick shell of a skull of yours.' His tone had gone from lithe charismatic to a brooding predatorily note; Draco tried to keep his face emotionless, not wanting to show that his father still had some power over him, before nodding his head reluctantly.

Lucius began explaining his discussion with Margalita Calabrese about the engagement; Draco sighed in his head.

He was going to be a lot later then he expected.

-8-

'Have a pleasant day, young master.' Acker said automatically; Draco wanted nothing more then to bash the elder man on the side of the head, but instead he simply glared at him, before marching out the front doors. Having finally gotten out of the manor, Draco was very grateful for his next meeting after this; he really needed to talk to him now.

The blond glanced down at his wrist watch, grimacing at the time; he was going to be really late. Without a second pause, he quickly ran to his car parked just beyond the gates of the manor, stopping dead in his tracks as a familiar raven head girl stood leaning against the side of the vehicle.

'Chanya! What are you doing here?'

'I figured you would be running later than you said, so I thought I'd take you there myself.' She explained briefly, walking to the driver's side of the car, a set of spare keys in her hand. Draco looked at her with a nervous expression on his face, his voice filled with slight fear.

'Wait – you're driving?'

'Is there a problem with that, sire?' She asked calmly, her hand pausing on the handle of the car door as she looked up at him. Draco didn't say anything. He walked to the doors of the backseat and quickly climbed in, positioning himself right in the middle seat; he reached across both sides for the seatbelts, buckling them in their opposing sides, making a criss-cross across his chest. Chanya merely raised a fine dark brow as she climbed in behind the wheel, staring at him curiously in the rear view mirror.

'Is my driving really that bad, sire?'

'I swear I lose five years of my life every time you get behind that damn wheel.' Chanya only hummed as she placed the keys into the ignition, starting up the engine, the motor roaring silently to life.

'Humor – after meeting with your father even; at least you're in a somewhat good mood.' She mused, before applying pressure to the gas petal and drove off.

-- Chapter One --

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Well – lots of going on here; Draco's mysterious person shall be revealed in the next chapter! ;)


	2. Chapter 2

Yay, new chapter already! Told ya I was working on it! :)

And guess what – we get to find out who this mysterious person is that Draco is meeting with! Expect the unexpected -- well, okay – maybe not …

**Warnings:** AU (Alternate Universe); no magic is involved; may contain some minor sexual content as the story progresses.

I, in no way, own Harry Potter or any of the characters I'm about to exploit in this story. All characters, unless said otherwise, belong to J.K Rowling. She's making the money, not me…

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-- Chapter Two --

Ocean Bay Café – while the name had nothing to do with its location, it had been painted and designed with the look and feel of being near the sea. It was a calming place, and the serene sounds of waves gently crashing against what could very well be rocks playing from the wall mounted stereos took one away to that blissful place on the shore.

It was here, sitting at one of the outside tables of this little café, a young man sat waiting, tapping his figures against the surface of the frosted glass table top. He sighed as he glanced at his watch again for what would be the tenth time, before resuming his tapping.

_He's late … again …_ He smiled despite himself, reaching out for the cup of tea he had ordered while waiting on his lover. His lover had a habit of being late for everything, and even though he had been informed earlier today that he'd be tardy, it still didn't excuse the fact that the blond was late.

He barely took a sip from his tea as the sounds of a motor reached his ears; glancing over the rim of his cup, he soon spotted an all too familiar sleek, silver-grey car slowing to a halt just by the curve of the sidewalk. A woman with dark hair, and sunny yellow skin stepped out from the driver's side.

_Uh oh…_ The young man thought to himself, as the woman walked to the door of the back seat, opening it as she helped a young blond man out of the car. The blond practically tumbled out of the vehicle, gripping on the car door to keep himself from falling face first to the ground.

'Thank god – solid ground!' He laughed to himself at his lover's reaction; he had yet to experience the infamous Chanya's 'insane' driving. After gathering his bearings, the blond gave her some quick instructions, Chanya pointing towards the man sitting at the table not from far them. A small smile came to his face as he waved at his lover, the blond waving back at him.

After Chanya had gotten back in the car and drove off, did then Draco make his way over to the table, slumping ungracefully into the empty seat. The other man laughed.

'Enjoy your trip?' He asked jokingly; Draco slumped forward on the table.

'I swear – that damn woman makes professional racers look like babies in a toy car!' He laughed at the response, before gently reaching a slender hand for soft, silver tresses. Draco sighed contently at the feel of the other man's fingers through his hair; he gently took the slightly larger hand with his, sitting up straight as he gazed into those star light blue eyes. He ran a pale hand through the deep reddish brown locks, his lover leaning into the touch.

Whoever the stylist was that colored his hair, did a very good job of it; you could hardly tell he was a natural redhead underneath this new brown, unless you looked very closely at the roots. And even then, it was hard to notice. Draco smiled as he let his hand fall from the other man's face, content with holding his hand in his own.

'You shouldn't have dyed your hair.' The auburn hair man frowned slightly.

'Well, my family's been appearing everywhere lately, it seems. Besides, you were the one who encouraged me to.'

'I didn't think I'd miss your red hair as much as I do now.' Draco said with a grin, playfully twirling the brown strands with his fingers.

'Oh, so now that I'm no longer a redhead, you think it's hot?' Draco shrugged, the grin widening a little on his face.

'More or less so, yeah.' The other man sighed, before firmly batting away the hand playing with his hair, shaking his head.

'You are one bloody hard to please bastard.'

'I think we established that fact years ago … Ronald.' Draco stated as a matter of fact; Ron frowned at the use of his full name, reaching to pull his hair away from his face.

'Don't call me that – I hate it.'

'Nothing wrong with it – perfectly etiquette, you know.' Ron snorted as he rolled his eyes at the blond.

'Right – like you've ever done anything _"etiquette"_.' He picked up his cup and brought the rim to his lips, taking a small sip before turning his gaze away from the blond. 'Sides – it makes me sound like a dork.'

'Hmm – and what if I said it makes you sound enticing?' Draco asked teasingly; Ron only looked at him, smacking away the hand creeping suggestively up his thigh.

'Dork, Draco. And if you call me that again, I swear there'll be no sex for a week.'

'Oh fine – Ron.' Defeated, Draco drew back his hand, before flagging down a waiter to order something to drink. The two sat in comfortable silence, Ron glad to be out of work and having the blond with him, and Draco just glad to be with the auburn hair man. The waiter soon came back with his order; he decided to experiment and ordered something called 'chai tea'. Apparently it was becoming quite popular, so he was curious as to what this mysterious tea had to offer. Once the waiter had turned his back and went to tend to other customers, Ron turned to his fair haired lover, a slight grin on his face.

'So – what's the excuse this time?'

'My – _father_ – wanted to discuss something with me.' Draco growled; Ron's face dropped at the mention of the older Malfoy, a serious expression coming to his face that the blond felt was out of place.

'What the hell did he want?' Ron spat, putting his cup down with more force then intended; Draco sighed as he stared into the dark contents of his own cup.

'He wanted to talk about a betrothment for me.' Ron's heart sunk at the word 'betrothment', quickly masking up the small fear that had appeared on his face, but Draco had already seen it. Even if he hadn't seen it, Draco knew the anxieties that would fill his lover's thoughts. He reached his hands for the redhead's face, gently cupping it in his palms as he gazed seriously into bright blue eyes.

'Don't worry – I'll make sure to crush any chances of this betroth being successful; even if it means dishonoring my family name.' Ron bit down on his lower lip, slowly nodding his head as he reached his hands for Draco's, taking them into his and holding on tight. He let him, Draco leaning in till his forehead was touching with Ron's.

'You know I love you more then anything else in the world, and that I'd do anything for you, Ron.' He whispered softly, the sweet smelling spices of the tea lingered across the freckled face as he spoke. Ron sighed against his lover, a smile coming to his face as he stole a quick and gently kiss from pale rose lips.

'I know …' Reluctantly, they drew back from other, the lack of closeness already stirring feelings of longing; it was a wonder the two even made it through the day when they were separated from each other. The pair sat, and talked about more pleasant things, the idea of Draco being married slipping slowly away from Ron's mind as the blond talked about the rest of the afternoon they'd be spending together.

While Draco didn't work, having a considerable amount of fortune behind his back, Ron was making his living by working in a furniture store. While it was not the best of jobs as far as money was concerned, the redhead seemed to enjoy it, and certainly learned a lot more about furniture that was normally taken for granted.

However, the fact that Ron did work, while Draco didn't, left the blond bored for most of the day as he counted the hours till his redhead lover got off from his shift. He was actually beginning to help Chanya with her errands and chores just to pass the time till he met with the other man, and he had never as so much did an ounce of work growing up as a kid.

The tea finished and paid for, Draco took Ron by the hand and began walking them towards the direction of an art museum close by. It was one of Draco's favorite past time places, and the museum recently acquired a new exhibition he had been dying to see. Ron didn't mind; while he had no understanding for art, he still could appreciate the beauty of some of the works the other man showed him and explained his interpretations of what the artists were trying to portray.

After the museum trip, Ron had been meaning to pick up a book he had spotted in the window of the bookstore one time, but kept side-tracking. Draco had been surprised the redhead was even interested in a book, till Ron said it was a belated gift for Hermione, his friend since high school. So they quickly picked the book up, and spent the rest of the time window shopping, glancing through the varies stores lined along the street (occasionally stopping once or twice somewhere private for love making), before Draco led him to a small park.

'I gotta sit down – we've been walking all day.' Ron complained slightly; Draco nodded his head, gesturing towards the polished, wooden bench. Ron plopped down gratefully on the bench, letting out a huge sigh as he leaned back against it. Draco couldn't help but grin, before sitting himself next to his auburn hair lover.

The sun had began to set, the sky above them already turning a deep shade of purple that blended faintly into orange the closer to the horizon as the sun sunk lower and lower beneath it. Draco watched his lover's face as the auburn hair man stared up at the sky, watching the stars begin to twinkle to life against the dark sky. The blond wanted nothing more then to reach over and capture those slight parted rosy lips with his own, not caring if anyone saw them or even gave a damn about two men kissing.

Ron shivered slightly as the early autumn winds gently swept over them; he should've worn a heavier jacket. He made a slight noise feeling an arm reach around him, pulling him close to the warm body sitting next to him.

'I – I'm fine.' He managed out, a huge line of red gracing his cheeks; Draco laughed softly as he held on tighter. He absolutely loved it when the other man blushed, it just seemed to make the freckles on his face more visible then usual, and Draco couldn't help but kiss him gently on the tip of nose. Ron hastily pulled away from him, his blush becoming impossibly redder; he was feeling a little too warm now.

'There now, that wasn't so bad was it?' Draco teased, earning a slight glare from the taller man before receiving a poke in his ribs. Draco tried not to flinch at the slight ticklish sensation it caused, not wanting to let it show that he was actually extremely ticklish there. Ron didn't stop; he knew exactly which parts of the blond's body would make him squirm, and he couldn't help but feel somewhat proud that he was more familiar with the other man then anyone else.

'All right – enough.' Draco said firmly, grasping at the brunet's wrist bringing the hand up close to his lips as he placed a gentle kiss on each knuckle. Ron only gazed at him lovingly, allowing his blond haired lover to show his affection.

His ministrations didn't last long; Draco jumped both at the sound of his phone and the vibration it set off at the same time. Ron only grinned shaking his head, as the blond reached into his back pocket for it.

'Excuse me a moment.' He excused, waving his phone slightly; Ron just shrugged and contented with sitting there, as he scooted over a little to give Draco some private space. The blond glared down at the offensive electronic, seeing that the number displayed in the caller ID was Chanya. He growled a little, before answering it, his tone coming out a little more rougher then intended.

'What is it _now_, Chanya?'

'Might I remind you, you have a dinner party you need to attend to in one hour, sire,' her monotonic voice sounded odd over the phone, but Draco scowled at the reminder. 'Your mother is expecting you there, Master Draco; and you know plain well what she'll do to you if you don't show up.'

Draco shuddered a little at the thought; while his mother believed (try as hard as she might) that Draco was entitled to making his own decisions as a grown man, she still pegged and pined after him, sometimes forgetting that he was living on his own and did not need her guidance or smothering affections like when he was child. The blond sighed, before running a hand through his soft locks.

'Fine – I'll go, but only because I can't stand listening to her wails again.' Chanya hummed in affirmation, and Draco told her where he was at the current moment; she would pick him up in about fifteen minutes. He sighed again as he hung up, snapping the phone shut before putting it back into his pocket.

'Something wrong?' Ron asked with slight concern, gazing at Draco expectantly. The blond gently caressed his cheek, as he allowed a small, tender smile form on his lips.

'Forgot my mother was throwing a party tonight, and she had all but asked me to attend it.'

'Oh…' Came the expected reply; Draco leaned in to capture the taller man's lips in a deep romantic kiss, whispering small apologies to him over and over again, and promised the next time he'd be completely free. Ron couldn't help but smile at the little words that spilled from pale rose lips, leaning his head against the smaller frame of the blond. Draco didn't mind, reaching an arm around his shoulder to gently thread his long, slender fingers through red-brown tresses.

Although Chanya had said fifteen, her insane skills at driving got her to the small park in eight, waiting by the curve outside the entrance of the park. Draco really wished she took the time she actually _said_ she would, instead of overestimating.

'Do you – wanna wait at the flat?' Draco asked unsure, taking the other man's hands with his. Ron stared at him with surprised look on his face, before nervousness took over his toned features.

'I – I don't know…'

'I'll probably not spend more than an hour there; I'd go crazy if I had to spend the whole full three hours at one of her parties.' He snorted; while he could somewhat keep his mind with the _"gentlemen"_ at these lavished gatherings; he swore he wanted to strangle every girl, woman or elder lady that tittered on about nothing at all. Ron shook his head, hesitantly pulling his hands out of the slender, pale ones.

'I – I can't, I mean … what if someone sees me leaving your flat? It might cause problems.'

'Please – they'll just think you're a friend or an associate.' Draco scoffed, casually waving a hand in the air.

'A friend at three in the morning? What person in their right mind visits someone at that hour?'

'You worry too much; at least an hour, I'm not asking you to spend the night, Ron.' Draco didn't like to plea, but not once in all the years that he and Ron have been together that the auburn hair man had ever stepped into his apartment. If he really thought about it, he's never actually been inside Ron's place either.

He shook his head, before turning to leave in the opposite direction.

'I'm sorry, but I should be getting home anyways. I've got some things I need to sort out before going into work tomorrow.' He shouldn't have felt the need to force a small smile, but it was better then biting down on his lower; Draco nodded his head.

'I understand – maybe some other time, perhaps?' He inquired, hoping that this will hint to the brunet that he wasn't going to give up on the invitation till the other man got over this little anxiety. Ron glanced over his shoulder, before sighing and walked back to him, gently reaching to place a chaste kiss on the blond's cheek.

'I'll think about it, all right?' Draco frowned inwardly, but at least it was better than nothing; he nodded his head and simply stood there as he watched Ron walk down the street and disappear around the corner. It wasn't until Chanya's voice shattered his thoughts, reminding him once again that he had a gathering to attend to, that he finally moved to get in the car.

Chanya had barely put a hand on the front door, when Draco grabbed her wrist, pulling the keys from her hand.

'Oh no – I'm driving this time.' He stated firmly; the raven head only nodded, before walking around to sit on the passenger side. Draco nodded in approval, before getting in on the driver's side; he paused for a moment with his hands on the wheel as he sighed. He placed the key into the ignition and turned the engine on and drove off back to his own place for a quick stop to change and clean up a bit. His patience burned thin and his mind still flustering over the small rejection earlier, Draco had the feeling the party would be more excruciating then usual.

_It's going to be a long night…_

-- Chapter Two --

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Ehehe – didn't expect little Ronniekins now, did we? Ron/Draco slash is slowly starting to become one of my favorite non-canon, yaoi pairings atm; it's even slowly creeping pass the rating of Harry/Draco slash and that's like – ungodly delicious … …

Anyways – more to come soon… maybe, and I shall hopefully get another bout of urges to work on the other stories too … maybe …


	3. Chapter 3

Finally! Got around to writing this out! Had to actually rewrite some of it, cause I didn't like how it turned out the first time (also another reason why I didn't get this up sooner XD). Anyways – on to the story! :D

**Warnings:** AU (Alternate Universe); no magic is involved; may contain some minor sexual content as the story progresses.

I, in no way, own Harry Potter or any of the characters I'm about to exploit in this story. All characters, unless said otherwise, belong to J.K Rowling. She's making the money, not me…

* * *

-- Chapter Three --

He stumbled into the flat, cursing loudly under his breath as he slammed the door shut behind him; two hours – two full fucking hours he had been stuck at his mother's party and nearly damn well wanted to shake the woman for forcing him to stay that long.

Chanya appeared from her room, her normally expressionless face showing mild curiosity, as she took his coat from him and went to hang it up in the closet.

'I take it – as miserable as possible?' She inquired; a rather savage growl rose from Draco's throat as he tugged at the sleek silver-green tie from his neck, carelessly tossing it to the floor.

'Hardly been a day, and already rumors of my – _engagement_ – have sprung up!' He didn't pay attention to where his shoes ended up as he kicked them off. Chanya gathered them up and tucked them neatly away into the closet, before she picked up his tie from the floor as she followed after him to his room.

Draco unclipped the cuffs on his sleeves, tossing them in the general direction of the dresser, not caring if they landed on it, or fell to the floor, before collapsing face first into his bed. Chanya neatly folded up his tie, opening the second drawer of his armoire, placing it neatly inside, before gathering up the cuffs to place in the box resting on the surface.

'Unpleasant conversations, I presume?'

'I swear – every single girl was trying to seduce me; it's like saying I'm a typical rich brat who'll fuck anything pretty and stands on two legs!' came his muffled reply, having not lifted his head from his pillow. Chanya only hummed in response, as she checked over the room one more time to make sure he hadn't tossed anything else before falling into bed. Seeing nothing, she came up to the edge of the bed, hands folded in front of her.

'Shall I draw your bath? Perhaps that will relax you.' She suggested; Draco lifted his head up as he stared at some far corner of his room. He sighed before moving to sit up, combing his hands through his hair.

'That's sounding like a good idea, actually…'

'I shall run the water then.' Chanya turned and headed towards a second door on the right side of the room, flipping on the light switch before entering into the rather large bathroom, and began running the water in the bathtub.

Draco merely sat on his bed as he listened to the sounds of the running water, his thoughts wondering back to earlier today before he had to be dragged off to his mother's gathering. The fond memories of spending the day with Ron brought a small smile to his face, clearly picturing every detail, every movement the auburn hair man made in his mind. How was it, just simply thinking of lover could calm him down even from the most vile of moods; it was a phenomena that he'd never understand.

'Your bath is ready, Master Draco.' He jumped slightly at the dark-haired woman's voice, having been distracted by thoughts of his lover, before nodding his head and moved to get off the bed.

In his absent-mindedness, the blond hardly noticed Chanya follow in after him, not registering her presence till he felt her hands reaching to undo the buttons of his shirt. Draco caught her wrists, giving her a slightly stern look as she merely looked up at him.

'I can do it myself, Chanya. Just – wait outside.' The dark haired woman stared at him blankly, before nodding her head and left the room. Draco sighed as the door closed shut quietly behind her; this was the result of his father's training. He had stripped her of her heart and her emotions, subtly manipulating her into believing that her sole purpose in life was to serve his family, and never question her position.

Draco hated it; he tried his best not to order Chanya around, but her way of thinking, the way that had been drilled into her since she was a small child, made it impossible for her to simply let the 'master' do the work.

The blond sighed again, before he began stripping out of his clothing, dumping them in the laundry hamper nearby. He ran his fingers through the water to test the temperature, before stepping into the tub, letting out a relief sigh as he lowered his body into the warm water. He leaned the back of his head against the rim of the tub, staring up at the ceiling.

'Something bothering you, Master Draco?' Chanya's monotonic voice floated through the door; Draco didn't move his eyes from the ceiling.

'No – I'm fine.' He answered, although it was far from the truth and somehow, Chanya could tell.

She leaned back against the closed door, staring out at the empty space of the blond's room, 'You're still bothered about Mr Weasley's rejection.'

'I told you, I'm fine.' He said a little more roughly than intended, sitting up straight to reach for the soap from the dish, and began washing himself. He heard her sigh and could clearly imagine the dark haired woman shaking her head.

'I know you far better then that, sire.' Draco paused with his washing, throwing a serious glance over his shoulder at the door. He let out a huge sigh, before continuing on with his actions.

'It's just – argh! This anxiety of his is just wearing down my nerves!'

'Can you blame him? He just merely doesn't want attention directed to him.' Chanya stated as a matter of fact; Draco snorted as he rinsed off the suds from his skin.

'That's not the Ron I remember; he enjoyed being the star athlete in school.'

'You know perfectly well what kind of attention I mean, sire.' Draco stared blankly at the water, absently watching the soapy bubbles disperse on the surface. He knew what she meant, but it was just one of those touchy subjects that were best left to silence.

Ron had told him – when he had confessed to his parents that he preferred men, the news hadn't been taken quite as well as he'd hoped. Last he knew, the auburn hair man hadn't spoken to his family (at least to his parents; he wasn't sure about the siblings) in the six-seven years since getting his own place.

'Fuck …' he cursed, splashing his hand against the water as he slumped against the wall of the tub. Chanya tilted her head back against the door, letting out a silent sigh as she heard the blond moving from inside the bathroom. She pulled away from the door upon hearing it click, turning around to face the younger man as he stepped out drying his hair, a towel wrapped around his waist.

'I just wish he wasn't so over-anxious about this. I mean – it's not like people are going to assume his my lover by just coming over.'

'And spending the night?' she inquired; Draco scoffed as he handed her the hair towel, before crossing his room to the armoire.

'Friends spend the night at each other's places all the time – shouldn't be any different for adults.' Chanya only hummed before going in to hang up the towel to dry, at the same time giving Draco some privacy as he changed into his night outfit. She came back out to retrieve the other towel, picking it up off the floor and went to hang it back in the bathroom. She came back out to find the blond laying on his back on his bed, staring up at the ceiling.

'Do you require anything else, Master Draco?' Draco didn't say anything as he continued to stare up at the ceiling. Finally, after several minutes, he rolled over on to his side, waving a hand causally over his shoulder.

'No, I'm fine Chanya. You can retire to your room.' The dark haired woman bowed her head, before wishing him good night and left his room, flipping the light switch off before closing his door.

Draco listened as her footsteps faded down the hall, before sighing pulling the covers out from under him. He laid his head against his pillow, staring at the empty space next to him. He closed his eyes and let his mind wonder, replacing that space with a certain tall, brunet sleeping soundly next to him; the blond smiled contently at the image, falling asleep to the imaginary warmth of the other body in his mind.

-8-

'Stop it.'

'Hmm – no, I don't think I will.'

'Oh come on – stop already.'

'You know you're enjoying it.'

'Yeah – too much … unless you want me to tackle you right here and now?'

'What if I said that was the plan?'

'You are bastard, you know that?'

Draco only grinned as he gazed lovingly at the man lying next to him on the soft grass. Ron kept batting away at the hand creeping between his thighs, squirming a little at the touch as he tried to keep the blond chaste.

'Honestly – the minute we're alone, it's the first thing on your mind.' Ron commented, turning his head to face his blond haired lover next to him, a pale, slender arm draped across his chest. Draco shrugged slightly, before leaning in to capture full, rosy lips with his own.

'Can I help it if you're just too damn irresistible?' Ron only shook his head, before reaching an arm around the other man's head, threading his fingers through silken silver locks. The auburn hair man stared up at the trees providing shade above them; he tried to force down the anxieties and nervousness as thoughts of what would be happening at the end of the week surfaced to his mind.

It had been arranged that Draco was to meet with his _'fiancée'_ this Friday, and even though the blond had told him not to worry, Ron couldn't help it. He didn't seem like it, but Ron had low confidence when it came to relationships; after three rather disastrous and failed relationships, he had been overly-cautious. Always guarding his actions and emotions, trying not to slip up or seem too attached or excited. It hadn't been until he started dating Draco that he actually made the effort to stop being so distance from his lover, but there were still some old habits that die hard.

Draco studied the other man's face, and he could tell just by simply looking at him that he was thinking about this Friday. Slightly annoyed, Draco frowned before moving to sit up; Ron blinked at him questionably, but before he could say anything, the blond moved to straddle him around the waist, leaning his hands on his chest.

'Stop worrying about it.' Ron blushed – both at the position they were in, and the fact that he was practically an open book with his feelings around the blond.

'I – I'm n-not!' He said defensively, his blush deepening as the shorter man's frown turned into a slight pout. Draco leaned forward on his arms till his face was hovering inches away from the brunet.

'Ron – just what the _hell_ do I have to do to make you trust me?' the brunet looked surprised, both at the question and the slightly hurt expression shown in pale grey eyes. Ron reached a hand for the blond's face, gently caressing his cheek before leaning up to gently kiss the other man on the mouth.

'I _do_ trust you, Draco … I just … I can't help it … I don't want to lose you …' He admitted; Draco smiled warmly at him, before taking the hand on his cheek with his, intertwining their fingers together.

'You won't – I'll do anything and everything to make sure this engagement doesn't happen. I love you, Ron – there's nothing else I need in my universe but you.' Before Ron could say anything in response, Draco captured his mouth in a deep, slow kiss, taking the opportunity to slip his tongue in while the brunet was off guard. Ron slowly let his eyes fall shut, reaching his tongue out to meet with his lovers; his hands wondered down the blond's back, slowly reaching under the hem of his shirt.

The need for air forced them to pull back from the kiss, both breathing slightly heavily as they gazed into the other's eyes. Draco grinned a little, reaching one hand under the taller man's shirt and pushed it up, exposing pale rose blush skin. Ron only looked at him, shaking his head.

'I highly doubt doing it in a forest is a bright idea.'

'Please – we've done worse; besides I think this is rather pleasant. Better then _some_ places I can think of.'

'God – don't remind me. Just how desperate were we at the time again?'

'Probably drunk off our arses too, come to think of it.'

'All right – fine, so maybe a forest isn't such a bad place.'

'If you're done talking –'

'You have no patience.'

-8-

Chanya leaned against the hood of the car as she gazed up at the clear blue sky. Today was Ron's day off from work, and Draco had decided that the entire day was just going to be devoted to the two of them. No interruptions, no work and certainly nothing to do with the up coming meeting with Anabel Calabrese.

The dark haired woman sighed as she brought her gaze back to the trees in front of her; since it was such a clear, perfect day Draco had decided to spend his time with Ron out in the country side – far from his family or anything else that had to do with work. She glanced down at her watch; it has been nearly over two hours since they disappeared into the small forest and she had wished she had bought a book with her.

After several more minutes had passed, she spotted the couple making their way back out through the trees; she only needed but guess what they had been up to, judging from the sated grins on their faces. As the pair approached closer to the car, Chanya pushed herself away from the hood, walking over to open the back door for Ron. He bowed his head to her, thanking her as he stepped, Chanya closing the door behind him; she barely touched the front door of the driver's side when Draco grabbed her wrist, giving her a small glare and shaking his head.

'From now, you're forbidden to drive the car unless said otherwise.' Chanya merely shrugged her shoulders, before walking around to the passenger side and climbed in. Draco nodded his head, catching from the corner of his eye Ron snickering in the back seat. He felt himself smile a little, before climbing into the driver's seat and started up the motor and drove them off.

-- Chapter Three --

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Ehe - after going through this several times already, I went back and corrected a few things in previous chapters -- as it says on my profile, I have a mild form of dyslexia, so I am very prone to making a TON of mistakes. Please be patient with me as I try to fix them in later re-readings (also probably doesn't help that most of my writing occurs at 2-3 in the morning XD).


	4. Chapter 4

Um … I have … no excuses for being so late on this update … or my other updates for that matter …

I promise, this time I shall try to get more writing in! Even if I have to ask my friends to poke me to do it! ;-;

Anyways – a bit of a long chapter this time! More to come soon, I swear this time!

**Warnings:** AU (Alternate Universe); no magic is involved; may contain some minor sexual content as the story progresses. There are bound to be mistakes - as it is now crawling towards 2:30 am ... yeah, why does my writing always happening at wee early hours of the morning? x.x

I, in no way, own Harry Potter or any of the characters I'm about to exploit in this story. All characters, unless said otherwise, belong to J.K Rowling. She's making the money, not me…

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-- Chapter Four --

'Are you sure you don't need my help, Master Draco?' Chanya asked him expectantly, watching him with her dark eyes; Draco glanced up at the manor with slight dread. As expected of a high-class socialite, everything was made fit for royalty and then some; the large iron-wroth gates stood with intricate ivy patterns, polished and firmed of nothing but the highest quality money could buy. Peeking through the gates, Draco could see the large garden preened with several exotic plants and the stone path leading up to the mansion separated by neatly trimmed, leafy green hedges.

'I think I can handle it; I don't need to make the girl _that_ miserable.' Draco joked lightly; Chanya merely nodded her head before wishing him luck, and said she'd pick him up within the hour. Draco waved a hand over his shoulder, before taking in a deep breath and stepped up through the gates, and down the stone path up to the doors of the manor. He had barely rung the bell once when the lavishly carved doors opened inwards, an old man with a saggy face greeting him with a stiff bow.

'The young Master Malfoy, I presume?' He asked; his sage old face crinkling slightly as he spoke with a sullen tone. Draco nodded stiffly.

'Yes, I'm here to – to meet with Ms Anabel Calabrese.'

'If you would kindly follow this way, Sire.' The old man stepped aside to allow entrance, before closing the doors shut behind them; Draco sighed in his head as he watched his one final chance of escaping from this meeting close behind him. The old man beckoned him forward with a frail finger.

'The Mistress and Lady are waiting in the balcony parlor.' He didn't say anything as he followed the short old man through the entrance hall and up the grand, carpeted stair case. As they walked down the hallway, Draco swore he was going to be blind by the sheer amount of gold that decorated the entire hall. Every frame, statue and pedestal seemed to be made entirely out of gold, the sunlight gleaming on them through the large, glass plane windows; the shine was unbearable to look at.

Finally, they approached a set of large, dark ashen doors, the handles predictably made of gold as well. The old man cleared his throat, before pushing the doors open, motioning for Draco to step in first, as he announced his presence.

'The young Master Malfoy has arrived, Madam.' There was a slight titter, and Draco inwardly gagged at both the sound and the ungodly scent of mulberry and jasmine as it flitted heavily through the air. Margalita gazed at him with a haughty grin, waving a stubby, short hand to the sofa across from her. Draco gave her a stiff bow, before walking over to the sofa and sat himself down, facing her. She reached with practiced grace to pull her tight, curl perm hair from her face, beaming at him.

'It is an honour to have you visit my humble home, Draco Malfoy.' Margalita complemented; Draco forced himself to smile, giving her a slight nod as he refrained from making any comments about her _'humble'_ home. She tittered excitedly, folding her hands on her lap.

'This is truly a grand day; my daughter is ever so excited to meet you, Draco.'

'I am sure, Mrs Calabrese.' He answered – amazed and satisfied at how calm and smoothly his tone came out, despite the shaking nausea in his stomach. The older woman grinned at him playful, waving a hand with false grace.

'Come now, no need to be so formal; after all, we'll be family soon.' Draco nodded in agreement merely to please her.

'So – where is your daughter, Mrs – Margalita?'

'Oh, she is upstairs in her room gussying up. Sylvester, please go inform Anabel that her fiancé is here to see her.' The old man, Sylvester, gave a low bow, before disappearing up the stairs just situated behind them; Draco watched as Sylvester disappeared up the stairs, dreading the young woman he would be bringing back down with him in several minutes time.

While they waited for Anabel to make her appearance, Margalita began talking about the arrangements to be sure she and Lucius were still reading on the same page for their children's marriage; seeing nothing array with what Draco had be told, she began talking about superficial matters to pass the time. Draco bit his tongue to keep himself from saying unnecessary things, keeping the forced smile on his face and nodding when appropriate.

'The young Mistress, Anabel Calabrese.' Sylvester's drone, sullen voice was music to the blond's ears, looking towards the stairs as the sounds of heels clicking against the marble floor. Margalita turned her head slightly towards the staircase behind, huffing her chest up proudly as the clicking got louder.

Draco watched with slight dread as a delicate, white hand came into view on the highly polish, sleek railing, the young woman who could only be Anabel coming into full view. He grimaced – she was exactly everything he was expecting her to be. Her hair was a light sandy brown color, flowing in long, neatly trimmed waves, crowning her head like a halo on an angel. Her skin was a flawless blushing pale pink, a typical color of a girl who had never stepped a foot outside the manor, and seemed to glow in the light that did shine through the large, open pane windows. She had her eyes half closed and held her head in a way as if she was looking down at those who approached her presence; her full pout lips were drawn in a slight haughty way, giving off an arrogant and royal air to her.

Draco sat anxiously as he watched her make her way delicately down the stairs; she would no doubt say something demeaning or selfish, as if nothing in the world mattered but her.

'Ahh!' Anabel let out a startled yelp as her foot missed a step, sliding down the last three steps on her behind; she winced slightly at the pain, trying to gather herself up from the fall. Draco blinked with puzzling eyes at the display of clumsiness; he was surprised she wasn't making a fuss or complaining that the stairs were somehow at fault for her 'accident'. Margalita looked slightly panicked, before casually waving a hand, as she forced a nervous smile.

'Just a spoof – she really isn't that clumsy.' She let out a strained laugh, before turning to glare at her daughter, who was still sitting on the floor trying to gathering her dress together and hoped that nothing unnecessary had been shown.

'Anabel Teresa Calabrese! Stand up and present yourself like a proper lady! Honestly, falling down the stairs like that – that's a _commoner's_ mistake!'

'But – but mother, I couldn't see, and –'

'Oh, to what nonsense the doctor says – I'll be a damn mother if I even think of letting them spoil your beauty!'

'Oh mother, please give them back to me – I can hardly see past my nose!' Anabel begged slightly, now kneeling on the floor. Draco merely blinked at the conversation going between mother and daughter, confused and bewildered of what they were talking about. Though he was definitely clear about one thing – his image of Anabel was slowly deteriorating.

'Oh fine – what are looks anyways in marriage.' Margalita sighed in defeat, reaching into a bag Draco hadn't even noticed she had, and pulled out a small black case. She tossed the case carelessly towards her daughter, Anabel fumbling in slight panic as she tried to catch it. She let out a huge sigh once she had the case securely in her hands, before clicking it open and pulled out a pair of large, oval frame glasses.

'There we go; this is much better.' She let out a relief sigh once her glasses were securely on her face; Margalita made a small noise of aggravation, still muttering under her breath about the waste of covering up her daughter's beauty with those glass eyes.

Draco could only stare at the amazing transformation the young woman seemed to have gone through; her eyes were now wide open, but the large frames seemed to make those doe brown eyes larger, giving her an appearance of a young child. Perhaps it was because of the shape of her glasses, but the haughty, proud image she had been displaying earlier had turned into an endearing innocent, almost childish charm.

Sylvester held his hand out to the light brunette, Anabel thanking him as she took his hand and stood up to her feet. Margalita motioned for her daughter to come take a seat by her, Anabel nodding her head timidly; the slight blush on her face seem to add to her child-like charm.

A small mental storm began to brew in Draco's head; he had every intention of making this girl absolutely miserable that she'd want to call the engagement off and never wish to see him again. However, he had been expecting a spoiled, careless, proud woman – not this timid, innocent child.

'Why don't I leave you two to chat; get to know one another better before the wedding.' Margalita said with a slight giggle, standing up to her feet and gesturing for Sylvester to follow after, allowing Anabel and Draco some privacy while they talked. As the doors clicked silently behind them, an awkward silence fell upon the room, Anabel not once turning her gaze to Draco, and the blond staring at her with slight conflict. While he felt a little guilty for it, he couldn't help but at the same time feel that breaking this engagement would be easier then expected.

The ongoing silence began to unnerve him; Draco opened his mouth to take the first step in breaking this arrangement.

'Look, I –'

'Please – let me speak first,' Anabel interrupted, still keeping her eyes to the floor. 'I – I have no concerns for what my mother wants of me; nor do I have concerns if you care about this engagement or not, but I – I can't marry you, Mr Malfoy.'

Draco could only stare with his mouth slightly open, similar, if not exact, words left hanging on his lips.

'Well, I –'

'I – I will not be treated as a prize or jewel for you to show off or use as you please. I'm not – willing to be that kind of woman.' Draco could only stare at her in disbelief; how could this woman judge him to be like all other spoiled, rich sons? Given of course that he had done the same just moments before hand about her, but he couldn't help the slight anger rising in his chest at her words.

'You listen here – if you think for one moment I'm _anything_ at all like those pompous, fucking prats, you –' He barely finished his sentences when the glass doors of the balcony suddenly burst open, a young man dressed in a causal cotton top, and faded blue jeans came running in. Both Anabel and Draco startled at the man's presence, Anabel looking more surprised when he rushed at her and took her around the shoulder. Hazel grey-green eyes glared at the blond, the tone of his voice was menacing.

'If you think I'd let you lay a filthy hand on her, you've got another thing coming, _sire_!' Draco could only sit there, his expression a mix between confusion and frustration; just who did this man think he was, barging in so suddenly then threatening him without reason.

'J-Jason!' Anabel tried to remove his arm from her shoulder, but Jason only seemed to hold on to her tighter, growling slightly at Draco.

'Anabel is far too delicate and innocent for the likes of you! I'll fight you to the death before I let you touch even a hair on her head!'

'First of all – _Jason­_ – I have absolutely no interest in "touching" Ms Calabrese at all.' It amazed Draco at how calm his tone came out despite the angry he was failing miserably to suppress; though perhaps it was because he said it so calmly it seemed to rile the fair hair man even more.

'HA! So she's basically not good enough, is she? I bet you have a little bitch hiding around in the slums, just willing to do whatever fucking thing you want!' Anabel looked at Jason with slight distress, trying to pacify him but to no avail. Draco stood up to his feet as he glared hard at the other man; it was one thing for Anabel to be judging him – at least she had been gentle about it – but this man had worked on his final nerve.

'Hell, I'd rather date someone like Ms Calabrese then knock up with some fuckin' skanky whore from the streets!' The blush on Anabel's face showed she was not use to hearing this much profound language in one go, tilting her gaze down to the floor.

'Besides – I don't even have the slightest _interest_ in women, what so ever!'

Both Anabel and Jason stared at him in surprise; Draco gazed at them puzzlingly before realising what he had just said, mirroring their surprised expression.

'…shit…' He cursed, falling back against the sofa behind him as he buried his face into his hands. Anabel and Jason glanced at each other, a silent conversation going on between them that would take years of friendship to understand. After several minutes of silence, they both nodded their heads, the young woman turning her gaze towards the blond.

'Um – I think we should try this again; you know, start from the beginning?' Draco looked up from his hands, before letting out a sigh and sitting up straight; Anabel gave him a small smile, before clearing her throat.

'All right, I'll go first then – um, my name is Anabel Calabrese; I'm twenty years old and um – my hobbies are music, and walking along the gardens.' Jason coughed behind her, having moved to stand behind the sofa, a hand on her shoulder. Anabel reached her own hand for his, gazing up at him lovingly.

'This is Jason Hart; he's been with our family for years and he's our head gardener and – my friend since childhood.'

'… Draco Malfoy; twenty-four years old – um, my interests are art, touring museums, being anywhere that isn't a mansion, and … I'm gay.' He hesitated with that last part, but neither Anabel nor Jason seem to mind or make a comment. They both smiled at him and Draco couldn't help but feel himself smiling as well. Jason scratched the side of his chin, staring in slight amazement.

'Though to think – the Malfoy heir prefers men; that'll shake the headlines for sure if it ever gets out.' Draco only laughed a little, Anabel gently nudging Jason in the stomach as she scolded him slightly; the other man faked a wince making the young woman sigh. Draco watched the pair interact, and couldn't help notice the warmth that seem to radiate from them; it was oddly familiar and soothing to him before he realised why this feeling was familiar.

'Are you two – together?' He asked somewhat curiously; a blush spread across both their noses, but a soft smile came to Anabel's face as she gazed tenderly at Jason.

'You – could say that.' She replied timidly; as if to affirm it, Jason leaned over to wrap his arms around the brunette's shoulders, placing a soft, loving peck on her cheek. Anabel giggled in embarrassment, teasingly pushing him away from her; the light hair man just grinned. Draco smiled softly at the affection; it was reminding him of him and Ron whenever they were together. The obvious feelings of love, the tenderness and warmth of just simply being in the other's presence – a feeling that was hard to describe with just words alone.

'So – how long have you two been together?'

'For a while now, but no one knows about it for obvious reasons.' Anabel replied; Draco nodded, knowing full well why this had been kept a secret. It would not only be seen as a scandal, but she would be looked down upon by the other wealthy for choosing a simple 'gardener' over a rich man. Jason glanced at the blond with a teasing grin, still keeping his arms wrapped around Anabel.

'Okay – you've asked us your questions about our relationship – it's your turn now.'

'What?' Draco blinked.

'I am – a little curious, myself.' Anabel shyly stated, folding her hands on her lap. 'Do you – have a lover right now, Draco?'

The question took him a little by surprise, but a warm smile came to Draco's face all the same, staring down at the floor as he answered.

'Yes, I do. And he's an absolutely wonderful, gorgeous, kind-hearted man. I'd rather be with him right now, in all honesty.' Anabel laughed a little; she couldn't agree more with what Draco had said. Heaven knows she'd rather be sneaking out of the manor with Jason right now and seeing the town with him then be trapped in this place she was forced to call 'home'.

They spent the rest of the time chatting and figuring out ways to break this engagement that neither of them wanted; occasionally her mother or Sylvester would check in on them to see how they were getting along – at which, Jason would hide behind the drapes. When the hour came close to an end, Jason excused himself so is not to be caught in a place he shouldn't be in and stir up trouble. Anabel glanced towards the doors leading to the hallway, a slight dreaded expression on her face.

'Just because I say I don't want to, mother isn't going to listen to me.'

'It's the same for my father, however if we can make it seem that we absolutely loath each other, we may be able to get out of this.' Draco stood up to his feet and began heading towards the doors; Anabel gazed at him puzzled. The blond grinned at her slightly, glancing over his shoulder.

'Try to act like you're miserable when your mother comes in; it was my original plan to begin with, but you're surprisingly easy to get along with.' Anabel blinked several times at him, before giggling to herself, nodding her head.

'I'll do my best – Mr Malfoy.' Draco nodded, before replacing his grin with a slight scowl and proceeded to push the doors open and walked out of the room. As he was walking down the hallway he bumped into Margalita, the older woman slightly surprised to see him wandering the hallway by himself.

'…is there a problem, Draco? Or perhaps you require something?'

'Pardon my abruptness, but I'm afraid I just cannot stay any longer.' He was glad to see Margalita looking nervous, no doubt wondering if there was a fault with the meeting. She quickly put on a fake smile to mask up her worries, subtly moving to block his path.

'Perhaps you'd like to stay for a spot of tea? Just freshly brewed, and biscuits just came out of the oven, so I'm told.' Draco shook his head, the displeased expression on his face was unnerving the socialite, and he took every silent joy in it.

'I'm sorry, but I simply cannot spend another minute around your daughter. Good day, Mrs Calabrese.' Before the older woman could say another word, Draco gracefully side passed her and continued down the hall, leaving her with a horrified expression on her face. He could hear her marching off down the hall; he had no doubt in his mind that she was probably blaming Anabel for his 'displeasure', but he was fairly confident that the young woman would pull an act to make it seem like he was the one at fault.

Draco grinned to himself as he found his way back to the entrance hall and left through the open door Sylvester was holding for him. He barely acknowledged the farewell from the old man as he practically half ran down the stone path and slipped out through the front gate. As expected, Chanya was waiting by the car, leaning against the hood with a book in her head. She glanced up at him with her dark eyes, mildly surprised at the positive aura the blond was giving off.

Without saying another word, Draco reached into his pocket for his keys and walked to the driver's side, Chanya still standing outside the vehicle blinking at him. She marked her page, then closed up her book, before climbing in on the passenger side and Draco took off without second thought; the grin on his face was almost out of place on him.

'…that was – faster than I expected, Master Draco.' Chanya finally commented –

her mild curiosity had grown into an itch of wanting to know; Draco seemed to grin wider, letting out a small hum.

'This is going to be a lot easier than I expected. You know, she's not a bad girl after all, Anabel.' Chanya raised a dark brow, staring at him curiously.

'Do tell, sire.' Draco tapped his fingers against the wheel while waiting for the light to change; he gathered up his thoughts and began telling the older woman about Anabel and how with just one slip down the stairs, she completely destroyed the image he was expecting. He told Chanya about her endearing childish charm, and that she was disliking the idea of this engagement as much as he was. Chanya remained quiet throughout the whole time he spoke, turning her eyes to the road once he had finished.

'Well, this certainly is going to be easier then. She's in love with Mr Hart, and you're in love with Mr Weasley – oh.'

'What is it, Chanya?' Draco asked curiously; he knew what that 'oh' meant – it meant that she realised something, or placed the pieces together that were normally overlooked or forgotten. Chanya only hummed as she stared at the road.

'You and Ms Calabrese are both from wealthy families, yet neither of you act like spoiled little children; Mr Hart and Mr Weasley are "commoners", as they say. If it weren't the fact you and Mr Weasley were both men, this almost be like a fairy tale.' Chanya stated; Draco stole a quick glance at her, before laughing out loud at the analysis. Even though the dark haired woman had said in a flat voice, perhaps that's what made it seem all the more funny, then if she had been more animated about it.

'A fairy tale, huh … I just hope ours has a happy ending.'

'You think you won't have one, sire?' Chanya asked slightly surprised; for as long as she had known Draco, he was more stubborn then a mule and never doubted himself or any situation he had control of.

Draco cut off the power of the engine after parking the car in his general spot, sitting with his arms crossed over the wheel. A grin came to his face as he moved to undo the seat belt, and opened the car door.

'Of course I will have one – and Ron is definitely going to be in it.' Chanya moved to undo her own seat belt, stepping out of the car and followed him up to the apartment.

'Even if I have to dishonor my family's name, nothing is going to tear me apart from Ron; and I'll be damned if I let this shitty engagement keep Anabel from Jason.' Chanya sighed shaking her head as she moved in front of him, the flat keys in her hand and opened the door.

'As expected from you, Master Draco; always one to forfeit the consequences of your actions for what you value most.' Draco only shrugged his shoulder, tugging at the tie around his neck as he shrugged his coat off.

'If my values are good, then I see no problem with that.' Chanya shook her head, taking his coat from him and went to hang it up in the hall closet. Draco stretched his arms above his head, before walking over to the sofa and dropped down on it ungracefully, reaching over for the phone sitting on the end table nearby. He picked up the receiver, and pressed one button for quick dial and listened to the ringing tone on the other end; he glanced up at the clock, making sure it was the right time, before waiting expectantly.

'_Hello?'_ Draco closed his eyes at the sweet honey voice that answered on the other side, a smile coming to his face.

'Hey love – guess who.'

'_Oh, it's just you.'_ Ron replied causally; Draco leaned back against the sofa, a mock hurt in his tone.

'Oh, fine way to greet your lover who just had to spend an hour with his – '_fiancée_'.'

'_Aw now, you know I'm always excited to hear your voice, love.'_ Ron snickered; Draco laid down on his back, staring up at the ceiling.

'_So – how'd it go? The meeting with your fiancée?'_

'You're not going to believe how it went…' Draco began, before going into the whole event and how he had completely misjudged Anabel at first glance, right down to accidentally confessing he preferred men and their relationship, to him and Anabel's plans of breaking this engagement. Ron had been mostly silent throughout the whole story, predictably objecting to Draco telling Anabel and Jason about them and throwing a few words here and there.

'_Sounds like she wasn't as bad as we were expecting.'_

'Definitely not,' Draco laughed as he replied, running a hand through his hair. 'And that Jason is something else; can't think of too many who'd jump in like that to tell off a rich prat – even if they are madly in love.'

'_I hear that.'_ Ron agreed; the two talked for another hour before Ron had to leave for work today. One of the other employers had broken their leg and wouldn't be able to work at the shop for a while, so Ron volunteered to work their shift on top of his own. While it left them with less time to spend together, the auburn hair man was getting paid for the extra shift, and wasn't in a position to complain anytime soon.

'When do you have a break?'

'_There's that carnival coming to town soon. I think the boss is planning to take his son there, so the shop will probably be closed then.'_

'But that's two weeks away!' Draco groaned slightly; if he had to wait that long to have a whole day with Ron to himself, he'd just might go crazy. Ron sighed and the blond could clearly see him shaking his head.

'_I think it's high time you learn some bloody patience, love. Besides, I'll still be around; it's not like I'm working a full twenty-four hours.'_

'I know, I know – hey, what time do you get off tonight?'

'_Around seven o'clock – why?'_

'Maybe I could meet you after work, and we'll have dinner together – my treat.'

'…_it's always your treat…'_

'What can I say – I love to spoil you; it's what a boyfriend does.' Draco teased lovingly; he could see Ron biting down on his lower lip like he always did when making a decision like this. It was a habit that just made the blond want to kiss him and suckle those inviting lips.

'_Well, all right – but nothing fancy, or that sorts; you know how I feel about that.'_

'I promise – nothing high class or exquisite. I'll pick you up at seven then.'

'_Looking forward to it.'_ Ron wished him a quick goodbye and a kiss over the phone before hanging up his end; Draco listened to the dead tone before sighing and hanging up the receiver. He stared up at the clock on the wall – it was nearly three o'clock; he had a four hour wait ahead of him.

Chanya stared at him expectantly, having already taken his tie and put it neatly away in his dresser in his room. Draco sighed again, before staring up at the ceiling, folding his hands across his stomach.

'…if you're bored, sire, might I suggest you pick up a hobby?' Chanya suggested; Draco didn't say anything, or look at her, lying on his back for several minutes, before pulling himself up.

'…you have any chores I can help with, Chanya?' He asked with a rather sheepish tone that she wasn't aware he could even pull off. Chanya sighed and shook her head.

'What's the point of my services if you keep doing my job, Master Draco.'

-- Chapter Four --

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Heh – poor Chanya, Draco's gonna make her unemployed at this rate XD and Anabel is definitely not what she appears to be – hooray for out casted rich kids! X3


	5. Chapter 5

See! Told ya I'd get an update soon! I'm taking a break from gaming to devote my time to writing and what not – seems to be working great so far! :D

**Warnings:** AU (Alternate Universe); no magic is involved; may contain some minor sexual content as the story progresses.

I, in no way, own Harry Potter or any of the characters I'm about to exploit in this story. All characters, unless said otherwise, belong to J.K Rowling. She's making the money, not me…

* * *

-- Chapter Five --

He tapped his foot against the pavement, staring up at the white washed stone wall towering in front of him. Draco let out a sigh, before tilting his gaze down to the ground, slumping against the side of his car; Chanya merely flipped the page of her book in her hands, briefly glancing at the young blond from the corner of her eye, before reading on.

'Is it always like this when you're waiting for me?'

'I have a book with me, Master Draco.' The dark haired woman replied, not once turning her eyes away from the words of her book; Draco glared at her slightly, before tossing his head back as he let out a slightly frustrated sigh and stared up at the clear blue sky above him. Today was the opening day of the carnival, and since Anabel had been curious to meet Ron, they decided that a trip to the carnival would be a good idea; of course Jason would be coming along – it almost made it like a double date.

'R-re-really! This isn't necessary!' Draco blinked at the soft voice coming from the other side of the wall; he recognised it as Anabel's voice.

'Hold on tight, Annie.' And that without a doubt was Jason's voice; before Draco could comprehend or make a noise, Jason appeared over the top of the wall, Anabel clinging tightly around his neck as he landed smoothly on his feet in front of them, greeting them with a grin.

'Yo – just dropping in; sorry we're late.' Jason put Anabel down and she immediately began hitting him lightly on the shoulder, scolding him about the perfectly functional gate that was only a few feet away from where they were standing. The light hair man only laughed, taking the abuse with a grin on his face. Chanya cleared her throat and all eyes went to her.

'Forgive my interruption, but we are late as it is.' She calmly stated; her lack of emotions seemed to unnerve the couple slightly as they apologised for their tardiness and moved to get into the car. He hadn't noticed before, but Draco gazed in slight surprise at the clothing Anabel was wearing and couldn't help but grin teasingly at her.

'Those are rather – "plain" clothes you have, Anabel.' The brunette blinked at him, before smiling, reaching a delicate hand to adjust the light tan cap she was wearing. The light blue jeans were slightly baggy on her small figure, and dragged a little on the ground behind her feet (he could tell this wasn't the first she's worn them, seeing as how the hem was slightly fringed); the top she was wearing seemed to just be a regular quarter-sleeve, cream colored shirt, with a brown design of an ace printed on the center.

'My mother doesn't even know I have these; she'd have a seizure if she saw me right now.' Anabel giggled slightly as she said that, climbing into the backseat with Jason following in after her; Chanya took her place in the front passenger seat and Draco started up the engine, driving them away from the Calabrese mansion.

'Er – does your servant not know how to drive, or something?' Jason asked rather nervously, unsure of how to address Chanya or even at how to behave around her even though she was of similar status as him. Draco only glanced at the road with a dreaded expression on his face, giving a slight glare at the dark-haired woman sitting next to him.

'She can drive … like a goddamn professional racer!' Chanya merely shrugged her shoulders, before turning her gaze to the road ahead of them; Anabel and Jason glanced at each other nervously at the answer, but decided that it was best left to silence.

As the drive stretched on, Jason reached his hand out tenderly for Anabel's, the brunette gazing at him warmly, contented with her hand in his. Occasionally Draco would peek into his rear view mirror to check on them and couldn't help but be reminded of himself and Ron in similar ways. The blond sighed silently in his head; even though Ron had agreed to this outing, it still wouldn't ease the auburn man's mind any less. He had always been afraid of letting others know about them – their relationship and tend to shut himself in whenever it happened. Draco leaned back against his seat, hoping that between Anabel's gentleness and Jason's humor they would be able to open him up a little more.

-8-

It was perhaps one of the most anticipated events of the year; the carnival seemed more lively then ever this year, painted with entertaining jesters and their colorful balloons, the vendors all set up to sell their treats or prizes. The game stalls had a variety of games for people of all ages – ranging from simple ring tosses to even harmless shooting games, and prizes to be won by all who participated. The rides were filled as people anxiously waited to get on and enjoy themselves, chatting with their friends and families while they waited on the lines to move, some posing and taking pictures to document their day out to the carnival.

It was certainly a festive of days, and Ron stood outside the entrance watching while he was waiting on his company to arrive. He folded his hands together and began pacing a little by the gate; he tried not to be nervous about today, but there were just so many doubts, so many scenarios that could occur in one single day. Meeting with Anabel for the first time, of course had him anxious and fidgeting, but the utmost thing that worried him the most was his family. There was no doubt in his mind that some of them would definitely want to come to the carnival; he hadn't spoken to any of them (asides from maybe Bill and Ginny on occasions) for nearly seven years and he knew it wouldn't exactly be a happy reunion if he bumped into any of them today.

Ron jumped slightly at the vibration against his leg, reaching into his pocket for his phone once he had calmed himself down a little. A quick glance at the caller ID showed it was Draco; Ron answered it without second thought, relieved to hear the blond's voice even above the noise from the crowd.

'_Hey love, sorry we're late.'_

'Where the bloody hell are you?'

'Turn around.' Ron jumped at the voice behind him, spinning on his heels to come face to face with the shorter blond grinning at him, phone in hand. A slight blush spread across the auburn hair man's face, hanging up his phone as he lightly punched Draco in the arm, the blond faking a wince.

'Ouch – now what was that for?' He asked with a mock hurt tone; Ron only shook his head at him.

'You know I hate it when you do that.' Ron said with a slight pout; Draco only chuckled, before taking the other man by the arm and led him over to where Jason and Anabel were standing.

'This is Anabel Calabrese, my – _"fiancée"_,' Anabel gave him a small bow, a gentle smile coming to her face; Ron tentatively smiled back at her. 'And her "illicit" lover, Jason Hart.'

Jason gave the blond a mock laugh at their introduction, holding his hand out to Ron, which the auburn man took hesitantly. Draco's grin softened, as he reached his arm around the taller man's waist, Ron silently protesting to the action.

'This is Ron Weasley – my boyfriend for life.' Ron buried his face into his palm, the blush spreading to half his face.

'You are embarrassing sometimes…' Anabel and Jason laughed a little at the response, Jason reaching to place an arm around her shoulder as they greeted him. Ron offered them a small smile, before Draco ushered them to head inside while the crowds were still slight. Jason let his arm slide off Anabel's shoulder, taking her by the hand as they followed after Ron and Draco, the pair ahead of them having detached themselves from one other and contented with walking close together.

The day was spent weaving in and out between different stalls, and trying out the different rides available to ride on; it had surprised Draco and Ron that Anabel was actually quite adventurous despite her timid appearance. She was tempting rides that neither Ron or Draco felt they had the stomach to manage it, and even asking for another go on the same rides; even Jason couldn't keep up to her after the first round.

One particular vendor game they kept coming back to was a shooting game; the targets moved at varying speeds making it difficult to get an exact aim when shooting. Anabel and Draco only watched from the sidelines, neither wanting to humiliate themselves for not only missing the targets, but also not knowing how to hold or handle a gun (even if it was a fake one). Ron and Jason, however, were ecstatic about it and even fronted against each other to see who could shoot down the most targets in one go; Jason won in the end by one target.

'You're not bad for a gardener, Jason.'

'My dad use to do a little hunting in his free time; he use to take me along when I was old enough to hold a gun.'

The vendor didn't say a word as he handed them their prizes, having been too amazed at the accuracy of these two gentlemen at his stall. Jason gave the little stuffed bear to Anabel, a huge grin on his face as he commented that this would another addition to her collection back at home. Anabel blushed, hitting him on the shoulder and scolding at him for having a big mouth and saying unnecessary things. Ron stared at the other bear in his hands, wondering what to do with it; he finally decided that perhaps he'd give it to Hermione. It would be an early welcome gift to her and Harry's child who would be born in another four months time.

'Ah, and a deal's a deal, Ron – remember what we agreed on before the game?' Jason asked with a sly grin; Ron sighed in defeat as he looked away.

'I remember – if I lost, I'd have to pay for whatever snack or drink you wanted for the rest of the trip.'

'Good – then let's see, I want –' Before Jason could say anything, Anabel slapped her hand over his mouth, a slightly annoyed expression on her face that seemed out of place with her delicate features.

'Ignore him – he eats like a pig and has a black hole for a stomach.' Ron and Draco only blinked; Jason pulled her hand away, looking at the brunette with false tears in his eyes.

'You're so cruel, Annie! Calling me a pig like that!' Anabel only shrugged her shoulders, before walking away from him, grabbing Ron by the wrist and started pulling in the direction towards the food stands. Both Jason and Draco opened their mouths to protest at the sudden escape, but Anabel only smiled over her shoulder, putting a finger lightly to her lips as she ran off with Ron, leaving the two 'boyfriends' behind.

Ron couldn't really stop to look behind him as he was trying not to trip over his own feet as the young woman dragged him through the crowds, finally stopping at the food vendors.

'You don't have to worry about Jason's silly little bet; I can promise you, he'll have you broke by the end of the day.' Ron didn't say anything and merely nodded his head; Anabel was definitely different from most rich girls he had encountered in the past. The younger woman put a finger to her lips as she peeked through the menu listings of each vendor, wondering outloud to herself of what snacks to bring back to Jason and what she wanted herself. Ron only half paid attention to what he was reading in the menus, occasionally stealing a glance at Anabel as she talked outloud to herself.

From what he heard from Draco, it amazed him that Anabel was the person she was right now; it made him wonder just where this innocent, gentle, considerate personality came from. It certainly didn't come from her mother from what little Draco has told him about Margalita Calabrese, but there was never any mentions of her father either.

Anabel paused in her search as she felt Ron's eyes on her; she looked to him curiously, the auburn hair man blushing slightly when he realised he was staring, apologising in a small voice.

'Is – something wrong?' Anabel asked shyly, habitually reaching a hand to fiddle with the end of her hair; it was a sign of nervousness or worry. Ron shook his head turning his attention to the menu in front of him, only half concentrating on what to get for Draco and himself.

'Nothing, it's just – you're a lot different then expected – I mean!' Anabel laughed softly as he stumbled with his words, offering the taller man a small smile.

'It's all right; Draco has told me the same thing. I'm a little relieved though.'

'Huh? Why?' Ron questioned, blinking at the slight tint of pink that graced that tiny, delicate button nose on the young woman's face.

'For a moment there I thought – I thought you were a-admiring me; not to say that you were, but I just…' This time it was Ron's turn to laugh as the brunette stumbled over her words, shaking his head as he finally decided what to order.

'I'll admit you are very attractive, Anabel, but – I definitely prefer men over women, with no offense to you.' Anabel smiled as she finished ordering her and Jason's food.

'None taken.' When the food was done, Anabel and Ron started heading back towards where they had left Jason and Draco standing; no doubt they would be lectured about running off without warning, but it didn't seem to bother the two of them as they walked and talked, carrying the snacks in their hands.

-8-

'I can't believe she ran off without me … again!' Jason groaned as he slumped into his seat; Draco sat with his legs crossed, arms folded across his chest as he kept his eyes wandering through the crowds trying to spot their lovers.

'I take it she's done this before?'

'Well – I sneak her out of the manor sometimes; even as kids she would run off on her own and I'd have to find her again.' Jason answered with a slight sigh before sitting up straight and began searching the crowd with the blond. Draco sighed with him, still searching through the string of people passing by them; he was beginning to worry a little about Ron. During the search he had spotted one of his brothers mingling in the mass of people; even in this crowded area, he could never mistake the bright red hair that was a trademark of all the Weasley family. He knew that was one of the anxieties Ron had about this trip, and had hoped that his auburn hair lover hadn't spotted his brother yet.

'There you two are! You have any idea how worried you've made us, running off like that!' Jason's scolding voice dragged Draco out of his thoughts, turning his attention to the direction the other man was pointing in. Ron had a sheepish smile on his face, while Anabel only huffed and pouted, complaining to Jason that she had every right to wonder off by herself. He was about to open his mouth when Anabel held up a strawberry, chocolate drizzled crepe to his face, the light hair man's jaw hanging open as his words were lost on his lips.

'You were saying something, Jason?' Anabel asked, a smugness that seemed unnatural on her face coming to her tone. Jason shut his mouth, before taking the crepe from her clearing his throat as he reached an arm around her shoulder.

'I was saying – that you're the best girlfriend a guy could have, and that you are beautiful and smart and absolutely perfect in every way.'

'A simple apology would have done.' Anabel replied, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink as she bit into her own crepe. Jason only grinned as he reached over to give her a peck on the cheek before taking a huge bite out of his crepe.

Ron shook his head as he headed over to where Draco was still sitting down, shyly holding out a hazel nut, caramel dipped candied apple to him.

'Sorry – couldn't really find anything that suits your palette better.' Draco only smiled, taking the candied snack from him, taking a bite from it.

'This is perfectly fine, love.' Ron blushed a little as he smiled tenderly at the blond; Draco offered him a small bite, the auburn hair man scolding him slightly about public display of affection. To which, Draco countered that friends could share snacks like this all the time; Anabel and Jason couldn't stop themselves from laughing at the small tiff going on between the pair.

After the snacks were finished and eaten, they continued on through the rest of the carnival, stopping to play a few games and ride the more lesser intense rides (although Anabel was the only one to tempt the more daring rides) till the sun began to sink below the horizon, orange and purple gracing the evening sky.

'It was nice to meet you, Ron. Thank you both for today.' Anabel thanked them, bowing her head slightly. Ron only rubbed the back of his neck as he offered her a smile, Draco causally shrugging his shoulders.

'We're glad you and Jason enjoyed the day out. Do you need a lift back home, Anabel?' Draco asked, but the young woman shook her head.

'I think it's easier if Jason and I just took transport back home. It might seem suspicious if the watchmen saw your car behind our gates.' Draco nodded his head, before wishing the couple good night. Anabel bid them farewell before moving to give both Ron and Draco a friendly peck on the cheek, waving over her shoulder as she walked away with Jason, the pair holding hands as they left.

Ron held a hand to where Anabel kissed him, a slight blush coming to his cheeks; Draco grinned at him teasingly, reaching with a bit of effort to drape his arm on the taller man' shoulder.

'It's a high-class thing, so don't worry about it. She probably did it out of habit.'

'I-I know that!' Ron retorted, his the pink on his cheeks deepening to a faint red; Draco laughed before he quickly reached over to place a light kiss on the other man's lips, pulling away before Ron could have a chance to protest. He could feel the heat radiating from his auburn hair lover's face, letting his arm slide off his shoulder and reaching for the other man's hand.

'Come on, I'll drop you off at your flat.'

'Y-you don't have to; I'm perfectly fine with taking public transport.' Draco frowned slightly, tugging on Ron's hand to make him face him eye to eye; Ron was a bit surprised by the serious expression on the shorter man's face.

'Ron – no one's going to think we're a couple. I know you're anxious about this, but please – I've been trying to be patient with this, but you need to get over it, even if I have to force it.' Ron was slightly surprised by the authority and demanding tone of the blond's voice; it was one of the rare occasions that reminded him that Draco was still a Malfoy, even though he chose not to act like one for the most part. He should've been angry, or at least hurt by the words Draco had said, but Ron knew he was right and couldn't bring himself to be angry at the blond.

'…A-all right; I-I'll let you take me home then.' Ron answered tentatively, adverting his gaze to floor as he cursed in his head at how unsteady his voice came out. Draco smiled softly at him, before leading him by the hand to where Chanya had the car parked; he hated to have resorted to something like that, but he really had been at his patience's end.

Chanya looked up from her book as she noticed Draco approaching from the corner of her eye, mildly surprised to see Ron walking along side with him. She closed up her book before standing up straight, waiting expectantly for Draco's instructions.

'We'll be taking Ron home first, Chanya.'

'Very well Sire.' Chanya bowed her head, before handing him the keys and moved to hold the door open for Ron, closing it behind him once he was seated. Ron fidgeted with the seat belt with his fingers, glancing around the inside of the car – this was the first time he's ever ridden in Draco's car. Chanya took her seat in the back, Draco getting in behind the wheel sparing a quick glance at the man sitting next to him.

Without much warning, Draco reached over to gently grasp the auburn hair man around the neck and placed a deep, romantic kiss on his lips. Ron was startled by the action, his yelp stifled by the blond as he ran his tongue along his bottom lip; Draco couldn't help but grin at the blush that covered half of the other man's face, Ron hold a hand over his mouth before he looked away with a slight glare.

'Honestly! You have no chastity at all – and in front of Chanya!'

'You know you enjoyed it as much as I did, love.'

'Just – take me home already.' Ron said in a frustrated tone, slumping back against the seat; Draco only laughed and shook his head, before starting up the engine.

'As you wish, love.'

-8-

Draco cut the engine as he parked infront of the building, glancing over at Ron as he moved to undo his seat belt. Draco leaned his arms against the wheel, gazing hopefully at his lover.

'Do you – want me to walk you up?' He asked softly; he could see a hint of pink color Ron's face as the taller man stared at the dashboard.

'No, it's fine; I can head up by myself.'

'Well, all right.' Ron winced slightly at the defeated tone in the blond's voice; he stole a quick glance at Draco, the other man leaning against the wheel as he stared out to the street. Ron sighed, tilting his head in the other direction.

'Um, do you – want to come up for a bit?' Ron asked tentatively, ice grey eyes staring at him in slight surprise, before a small smile graced itself on Draco's lips.

'If you don't mind…' Ron turned his head to give him a tender smile, lightly patting his knee.

'I don't mind.' Draco took his hand, placing a small kiss on it, before turning to Chanya and asked her to watch the car while he walked Ron up to his flat. The dark haired woman merely nodded her head, reaching for her book from her lap and opened it to the page she had marked. He felt a little bad for leaving her like this, but the blond knew that she would return home on her own if he took too long coming back down. With that in mind, he opened the door and stepped out of the car, the chilly autumn wind blowing over him slightly. Ron came up to his side and Draco gestured him to lead the way, taking his lover's hand as they walked up to the door.

They trekked up three flights of stairs before Ron stopped them at the third floor, reaching into his back pocket for his keys; he looked to Draco with a sheepish grin, scratching the back of his head.

'Just to warn you, it's kinda of a mess right now – and probably seems a bit empty.'

'Don't worry – if I didn't have Chanya with me, I doubt my place would be as neat as it is right now.' Draco commented, Ron shaking his head as he chuckled softly, before opening the front door and stepped in, the blond following in behind him. Draco glanced around the small flat with interest, taking in very detail he possibly could – this was the first time he's ever stepped foot inside the other man's home. The living room and dinning area where open based, a simple couch in the center of the room, and a small table with two chairs set up for eating. There was a small wooden coffee table in front of the couch littered with papers and maybe one or two books; he could faintly make out water mark rings no doubt from glasses that had been set upon it without a coaster underneath it. He glanced around at the walls noticing that there were very few pictures hanging on the wall, but of the few that were hanging he noticed there were pieces of some of his favorite artworks. A particular odd and bright colored vase caught his attention, Draco going over to pick it up while Ron had his back to him.

'It's not much, but I guess its home.'

'Didn't think you were one for such odd tastes, love.' Draco teased, holding up the oddly shaped, ghastly orange vase he was examining. Ron scratched the back of his head, a nervous expression coming to his features.

'Oh – that. The boss likes to give these 'end-of-the-month' freebies; you don't really get a choice of what he gives you though.'

'I think it's rather charming.' Draco teased lightly, setting the vase back down in its place, turning to face the auburn hair man. Ron fiddled with the hem of his shirt, biting down on his lower lip as he watched the blond observe his flat in silence; he knew it shouldn't matter what Draco thought – it was always going to be positive in the end. Still looking around the place, Draco walked towards him, closing the distance between as he reached a hand out to caress the taller man's cheek.

'You have a lovely place, Ron.'

'You're just saying that…'

'I'm being serious; just because I'm your boyfriend doesn't mean I have to be nice all the time.'

'No, but you tend to spoil me just because you can.' Draco didn't reply, but merely grinned and shrugged his shoulders; Ron sighed and shook his head, muttering something that he was impossible. Draco chuckled softly as he reached his arms around the other's neck, capturing full, rose lips with his before the taller man had a chance to protest. Ron let his eyes fall shut as he reached his own arms around the smaller man's waist, leaning into the kiss, darting his tongue out to delve into the blond's mouth. Draco threaded his fingers through reddish brown locks, feeling the hands on his back moving lower to rest on his behind. They pulled back for air, icy cool grey eyes staring into bright blue ones amused.

'You say I have no chastity.' Ron ignored the comment, gently nuzzling the crook of his neck with his nose, Draco tilting his head to allow the auburn hair man better access.

'…this would probably be easier on the bed.'

'It's your flat, so – lead the way.' Reluctantly, Ron stepped back from Draco, the blond silently whimpering at the loss of contact as he was taken by the hand and led to the door just across the room. The last thought on his mind before it completely shut out all comprehendible thinking was that he was glad Chanya had a book with her, and the spare set of keys to the car.

-8-

The dim light from the moon and the street lamps below flitted in through the single window of the room, faintly lighting up the center of the room. Draco propped himself up on one elbow, gazing contently at the face of his sleeping lover; he reached a careful hand to brush aside red-brown locks from the other man's face, letting out a soft sigh. How long had he'd dreamed of having the other man sleeping soundly next to him like this; his imagination had nothing to compare with the real thing.

He watched quietly the steady breathing of his lover, before leaning in carefully to place a light, gentle kiss on the other man's lips; Ron made a small noise in his sleep, before blinking starlight blue eyes awake, staring into the cool grey ones greeting him with an apologetic look.

'Sorry love – didn't mean to wake you.'

'I was awake when you were playing with my hair.' Draco chuckled softly, reaching a slender arm around Ron's waist as he stole another kiss from him; Ron didn't complain, reaching his hand to thread his fingers through soft silver locks.

'Do you have work tomorrow?'

'Probably not; the boss has a six year old, he's probably gonna be plenty tired after today.' Ron replied with a slight laugh, before glancing at the blond suspiciously. 'Why?'

Draco moved closer till they were practically touching chest to chest, burying his face in the crook of the other man's neck.

'I would think it'd be obvious; I hardly had you to myself for a good two weeks, and I intend to make the most of this break. Not to mention this is the first time I've stepped into your flat.' Ron hummed, kissing the crown of the blond's head.

'Yeah, well – don't get too use to it. Don't expect me to invite you over all the time after this.'

'Who says I need an invite to visit you in your own home?' Draco teased, tilting his head back a little to place a small peck on Ron's chin; the other man just shook his head.

'You're a bastard, you know that.'

'I love you too, Ron.'

-- Chapter Five --

* * *

Eheh – more to come… and erm, I have no idea what carnivals/fairs are like in England (hell, I don't even know what they're like in America …), so erm … I don't know what kinds of foods/snacks can be found there … feel free to comment or say otherwise – I'd appreciate it, thanks. :)

More to come soon … though next chapter might be a short filler … just cause …


	6. Chapter 6

I'm bad – not only is this a filler chapter, it's also kind of short XD So sorry I didn't get this up sooner, but every time I sat down to write this, everything I poured out I didn't like, so I kept re-writing it DX

Anyways – still didn't turn out the way, I wanted it to, but I guess I like all the same … more to come, I promise! Oh – and if there are errors/mistakes/etc – it's 2 in the morning, and I'm just too tired to re-read over this again DX I will fix the mistakes in the morning – erm – later this morning when I wake up at a decent hour …

**Warnings:** AU (Alternate Universe); no magic is involved; may contain some minor sexual content as the story progresses.

I, in no way, own Harry Potter or any of the characters I'm about to exploit in this story. All characters, unless said otherwise, belong to J.K Rowling. She's making the money, not me…

* * *

-- Chapter Six --

Once he had the car parked and set, Draco cut the power to the engine, gathering up his winter coat and opened the door as he stepped out into the winter air. He quickly pulled his coat on, shutting the door behind him before he walked over to the passenger side, putting his hand on the handle as he waited for Anabel to pull on her own coat. Once the brunette was ready, Draco opened the car door for her, holding his hand out to her; Anabel thanked him as she took his hand and helped her out of the car. The smile on her face was catching.

'Excited are we?' He asked teasingly; Anabel giggled as she nudged him lighting on the arm.

'Aren't you?' Draco scoffed and rolled his eyes as he walked towards the trunk of the car, but the grin on his face was a dead give away.

'Please – like a gentleman like myself would act like some over active child about to open their christmas presents.' Anabel didn't say anything, but the smile on her face showed that she wasn't fooled; Draco had to tighten his lips to keep himself from laughing as he pulled her suitcase out from the trunk, reaching for his own at the bottom.

In just another hour they would be on the train and heading up north for a three week isolation period their mothers had planned for them; having noticed that Draco and Anabel didn't seem to be getting along as they hoped, Narcissa and Margalita proposed this trip and even lent the use of the Calabrese vacation home that was in that area. The point of the trip was to allow their children to spend time alone together to "overcome" this barrier between them; of course Anabel and Draco protested determinedly, but their mothers were persistent and in the end "begrudgingly" agreed to go. The minute the women's backs were turned, Draco and Anabel made plans of their own to work this to their advantage.

Ron and Jason had already arrived at the train station, Jason waving his arm as he spotted Draco and Anabel appear in the crowds. The two made their way to the pair, Jason pulling his scarf down enough to lean over and greet Anabel with a light kiss on the nose; the brunette laughed softly before reaching up to place a peck on his lips. Draco and Ron watched the pair, both slightly envious that they could not display the same kind of affections with each other, less cause a scene.

'Guess rich people don't know how to compact their luggage, huh?' Jason teased, pointing to the large cases Anabel and Draco were holding; the young woman hit him on the arm, a slight blush coming to her face.

'My mother would have forced me to use this instead! You know how she's like!' She nagged, Jason scratching the back of his head as he made small apologies, telling her to calm down. Draco looked down at his own case before glancing at the simple duffle bags both Jason and Ron had sling over their shoulders; he reached an arm to drape around his lover's shoulder.

'I suppose it's a "commoner's" skill to know how to pack compact when traveling.' He teased, gazing up at Ron with a grin; the taller man only shook his head, grinning back at him.

'I suppose when you don't much to begin with, you make up for it by being logical. I do hope you remembered to pack your essentials, love.' Ron teased, almost laughing at the sudden hint of pink that graced the blond's cheeks; Draco cleared his throat as he removed his arm from the auburn man's shoulder.

'Of course I did! I'm not that stupid, Ron.' Anabel and Jason laughed as the couple teased each other. They still had an hour before the train would leave, and decided that waiting on the train would be warmer then standing on the platform out in the cold. Before they could board on the train, a small girl slide on the icy ground, falling face first on the surface; both Anabel and Jason startled, before going over to the little girl.

'Are you all right?' Anabel asked gently as she sank down to her knees; the girl sat up with tears forming in the corner of her eyes, shaking her head.

'My knee hurts.' The little girl complained; Jason kneeled down next to them, seeing that the girl was wearing thick, long shorts and she had skinned her knee when she fell. Anabel pulled out a handkerchief from her coat pocket, gently cleaning up the wound as she soothed the girl to calm down. She was about to wrap the kerchief around the girl's knee, but Jason pulled one from his own pocket, handing it to Anabel.

'Here, use mine – I've got plenty more back at home.' Anabel nodded, taking his kerchief and used it instead to wrap the little girl's wound.

'Where's your mummy, little one?' Jason asked gently; the girl pointed behind her to a woman sitting down on a bench, a book in hand.

'There, all done.' Anabel said once she finished tying a firm knot; they helped her up to her feet, Jason taking the girl by the hand and said he would walk her back to her mother. Anabel nodded her head, waving to the girl as she warned to be more careful next time; the girl timidly nodded her head, before walking with Jason over to where her mother was sitting.

Ron and Draco watched in silence as the couple took care of the little girl; Ron suddenly sighed softly, the blond caught slightly by surprised as he glanced over at him as he spoke.

'They seem to like kids a lot, don't they?' Draco flustered a littler with his answer, before humming in agreement. He studied his lover's face as the auburn hair man watched the mother lightly scolding her daughter for running off like that, apologising and thanking Jason for watching out for her. The blond wasn't sure what was going through the other man's mind at the moment.

Once Jason and Anabel rejoined them, they all headed on to the train to wait inside where it would be warmer then stand around in the cold winter season.

-8-

'He certainly travels well.' Anabel teased softly; Ron laughed a little, gently jostling the blond asleep on his shoulder, but Draco didn't stir. The taller man sighed, before reaching his other hand to brush aside silken silver locks.

'He always falls asleep on long trips; even back in school when we had long field trips, he'd be in the back sound asleep till we got to wherever they were taking us.' Anabel only smiled as she hummed; Jason had gotten restless and had decided to walk up and down the train to stretch his leg, leaving Anabel and Ron with a sleeping Draco. The auburn hair man tried to stir his lover awake to no avail, before shaking his head and sighing. He stood up from his seat, and gently and effortlessly lifted the blond man in his arms.

'I'm gonna put him in the sleeping chamber; probably be more comfortable.' Anabel only nodded her head, Ron offering her a small smile before he headed over to the doors of the sleeping compartment. He had minor difficulty sliding the door open without dropping Draco, but managed it without trouble and carefully placed the shorter man on to one of the bunks. Ron studied his lover's calm sleeping face for a moment, before leaning over to give him a gentle kiss on the forehead then quietly walked out, sliding the door close behind him.

In about a day and half, he'd have Draco all to himself – he didn't have to worry about his family, no spectators or witnesses, no servants and while he liked them as much as the next person, it would be nice not to have to put with Harry and Hermione for a while. Neither of them still approved of his relationship with Draco, but for the sake of his happiness, they were willing to let it be and try to be peaceful about it. Course they still nagged him to reconsider his relationship – Hermione especially had been persistent, but Ron blamed her current mood swings on her pregnancy.

He resumed his seat across from Anabel, who was staring out the window as the snowy white scenery whipped by them. She let out a contented sigh, before turning her attention to Ron, giving him a gentle smile, which he returned.

'This is almost dream-like…' she spoke softly, turning her gaze back to the window; Ron tilted his head as he leaned back against his seat. The land had long flatten out the further north the train traveled, the blanket of snow covering the ground was fresh and untouched giving the scene an almost angelic look.

'Complete isolation … it really does seem like a dream.'

The plan had been simple – Anabel and Jason would be spending the three weeks at her family cabin, while Draco took Ron to his which happened to be around the same area. The blond had picked up Anabel at her manor, both acting extremely displeased at spending three weeks alone "together", then they headed for the train station, where Ron and Jason would be waiting for them and they would all go together.

Anabel gave one last sigh, before turning her head to face the man sitting across from her, a curious smile on her face.

'You don't have to answer, but – how did you and Draco end up together?' Ron blinked, glancing at the brunette from the corner of his eyes. He sat up straight, gazing at the young woman for a minute, before reaching a hand to rub the back of his neck.

'Well … that's … why?' He fumbled; he couldn't think of anything to say. Anabel fiddled with her fingers as she stared down at her lap.

'It just seems – well, odd. It doesn't seem like you two would get along and yet – you fit so perfectly together. I'm just curious at how it got started.' Ron looked stunned for a moment, before a soft smile came to his features, tilting his head to look out the window; there was more truth to that then perhaps she realised.

'We weren't always like this – him and I; fact, we use to hate each other when we were kids.'

'Draco told me you two have been together for a long time now; when did – when did you two start dating?' Ron ran a hand through his hair, scratching the back of his head at the same time as he tried to remember the exact year he and Draco started officially going out.

'Well … I suppose officially we've been dating since we were seventeen, but – it kind of started before that …'

'Kind of…? So it didn't start as a sudden realisation then?' Anabel asked curiously; Ron strained a laugh, wondering how to explain to someone as innocent as her the reason he and Draco started to notice the other was because they accidentally had sex. Anabel didn't mind his silence and merely smiled, before turning her head as she spoke.

'I think it nicer that you don't realise you're in love at first; I think it gives it a chance to actually grow on its own and bloom into something special.' Ron stared at her in slight amazement; she continued on.

'I think people who fall in "love at first sight" work too hard to become lovers and they don't let it grow first. If you don't realise your in love, you really learn to understand the other person better and really get to them know in ways that other people will never see. To me, that,' They both startled by Jason's sudden appearance, the fair hair man had a gentle smile on his face as he gazed lovingly at Anabel, the brunette returning the gaze as he sat down next to her. He reached his hand out for hers, leaning his head against her shoulder as she continued speaking.

'To me – that is the best part of falling in love.' Jason raised her hand tenderly to his lips, placing several small kisses, before tilting his head to give Anabel a kiss on her lips. Ron watched them with a gentle smile on his face; Draco had been right when he described how much their love was similar to what was between the blond and himself. They were just a few rare of couples to be truly blessed with this kind of pure love that could never be broken or replaced.

The evening sky began to fall as the train continued its steady pace up north, a light rain of snow was beginning to fall as the sun sank slowly beneath the horizon. Anabel covered a hand over her mouth as she yawned, Jason gently nudging her shoulder and suggesting that they should all get some sleep, since they still had a long ways ahead of them to go. Ron agreed with the suggestion, suddenly feeling a bit sleepy himself; Jason helped Anabel up to her feet, an arm around her shoulder as he guided the half-awake woman to a second sleeping compartment, wishing the other man goodnight, before leading them in. Ron wished them a brief goodnight, before quietly entering the one he and Draco would be sharing. He turned the dim light on without much worry, knowing full well that even a sun-bright light wouldn't wake the blond up; he kneeled down by the sleeping man's side, tenderly caressing his cheek, before leaning in to kiss slight parted, pale rose lips goodnight.

'See you in the morning love.' He whispered, seeing a small content smile appear on those delicate features. Ron crawled into the second bunk, not bothering to turn off the light since it wasn't a nuisance to either them, laid his head down, closed his eyes and let the sweet thoughts of the upcoming holidays coat his dreams as he slept.

-- Chapter Six --

* * *

Ugh – this seems a little muddled now that I think about it … okay, random question: would anyone like me to write about how Draco and Ron's relationship got started? (even though I really don't need another writing project right now … eheh… ) Believe, I could very well write it if I wanted to DX Got – more or less an idea of how it started and what not … whether it makes sense or not, well – I'll leave that up in the air … cause … yeah, other then a little snippet in this chapter, you don't really hear exactly _how_ it happened …

Well, anyways – it's up in the air for debate, and I'm just being an egotist DX

I – _may_ do some writing tomorrow/today, shall have to see…


	7. Chapter 7

Hmm – meh, a little shorter then what I normally do, but I think this is a good place to stop… maybe, but for now … new chapter time! Enjoy

**Warnings:** AU (Alternate Universe); no magic is involved; may contain some minor sexual content as the story progresses.

**Extra Warnings: **Chapter does contain minor sexual situation!

I, in no way, own Harry Potter or any of the characters I'm about to exploit in this story. All characters, unless said otherwise, belong to J.K Rowling. She's making the money, not me…

* * *

-- Chapter Seven --

The winter evening air was surprisingly stilled, the sun setting below the horizon had turned the sky from a faint grey blue to a warm orange to a hazy purple. Draco took his lover by the hand as he led them up the carved, polished wooden stairs of the cabin; he would glance back occasionally to his lover behind him. Even though Ron had his red and gold scarf covering most of his face, the blond could see the excitement and awe in his eyes as he stared up at the place they would be for the next three weeks.

Draco squeezed his hand as they stood in front of the door, putting his suit case down as he reached into his coat pocket for the key; he could feel the other man's grip tighten a little in return.

'Ready to spend three whole glorious weeks alone?' Ron laughed at the question, nodding his head as he spoke.

'Don't you know it.' Draco grinned, turning the key in the key hole and pushed the door open, before picking up his traveling case and stepped inside, pulling the taller man in with him. Ron pulled his scarf down from his face, gladly welcoming the warmth that engulfed him the second he stepped in. He stared up in awe as he gazed around the cabin; as expected from his lover's wealth, it was the kind of place you expect to see advertising in one of those "perfect" home or property catalogs. The outer appearance made it seem like it was constructed entirely of wood, but the inside revealed beautifully painted brick walls, decorated with paintings and wall hangings of spring like scenes. There was a slight sunken area where the fire place was situated, a large, white fur rug stretched out before it and surrounded by one large, comfy looking sofa and two equally comfy arm chairs. Above the mantel of the fireplace was a large golden plague hanging on the wall, but he couldn't make out the words from this distance. He gazed up to the loft like hanging above them, a set of modern industrious, but wooden made stairs leading up to it; he could only assume that the bedrooms and baths were up there.

Draco had already shed off his heavy coat, unraveling the scarf from around his neck to hang them up on the coat rack placed by the door. He watched with a content smile as he lover admired and took in every detail of the cabin; although this place was meant for the whole family, Draco was the only one who would come here on a regular basis. His mother absolutely hated the cold, so would only usually come in the summer time, while his father could care less about this little retreat. Heaven forbid, if the older Malfoy ever decided to take a vacation from his all so important business. Those factors alone made Draco feel proud at the fact he had taken the time to dress up this little forgotten place and made it seem this homely.

Ron had been so distracted with his observation of the cabin that he jumped slightly when he felt Draco reach to take his coat off for him. The other man blushed slightly, before saying he could do it himself, shedding off his coat and scarf, which Draco took from him and hung them up on the coat rack.

Before the auburn hair man could say anything, Draco reached his arms around his neck, stealing a kiss before he could even comprehend what was happening. Ron let out a contented sigh as he leaned into the kiss, reaching his own arms around the blond's waist. Pale rose lips parted slightly, the taller of the two taking advantage of it as he slipped his tongue in to meet with his lover's; Draco moaned softly against the other's mouth, reaching hand to thread through red brown tresses. Ron would have to re-dye his hair soon – his flaming red roots were beginning to show.

Ron pulled back briefly to catch a quick breath of air, before recapturing the blond's mouth, his hands wandering down the smaller man's back and fiddling with the hem of his shirt with his fingers. Draco yelped slightly as he pulled back, Ron giving him an apologetic grin.

'… Sorry.'

'Jesus! You're hands are like ice, love!' Draco complained; Ron only laughed as he apologised again, the blond shaking his head. He picked up his suitcase by the door and started towards the stairs, gesturing over his shoulder for his auburn hair lover to follow him.

'Come on, a nice hot bath should warm you up.'

'Now is that before or after we've stripped down and get into the water?' Ron asked teasingly; Draco only gave him a sly grin as he walked up the steps.

'Oh no – you're not touching me with those ice blocks for hands; not until you're warmed up.' Ron only laughed then sighed as he adjusted his hold on the duffle bag slung over his shoulder.

'Fine, fine – whatever you say, love.' Draco nodded in approval, before showing him down the upper floor hallway, stopping at the door at the very end. Ron didn't have much time to really observe the bedroom, since the blond grabbed his hand the minute he dropped his bag to the floor and lead him to another door across from them. Draco reached for the light switch and Ron winced a bit as the light flood the bathroom. Every inch of the room was covered in clear, highly polished white tiles, the light reflecting off them was almost blinding compared to the rest of the cabin. There were two large showers with glass doors in the two corners across the room, a large, sunken bath tub positioned right in the middle of the room. There was a crisp, slightly raised marble rim, with three golden taps on one end of the tub; no doubt only one tap was actually functional with actual water, while the other two either had different functions or were purely for decoration.

Draco let his hand go as he walked over to the facets, kneeling down as he twisted the middle one on, a huge stream of washing gushing out and begin filling the large, white basin. He twisted a second on the left side and a thin streaming a clear, light purple liquid poured out; there was a faint scent of lavender as bubbles foamed in the water.

'Must be a bitch to refill that.' Ron commented absent-mindedly; Draco stood up to his feet, reaching for the hem of his shirt as he scoffed and replied nonchalantly.

'Not really; it's actually quite easy.' Ron only hummed as he worked to remove his own shirt, his eyes not once glancing away from Draco. The blond seemed to notice this, pausing with his fingers just at the button of his pants; he gave the auburn hair man a sly grin, taking his time as he played with the button. Ron had stopped in the middle of undoing his jeans as he just stood there and gazed at the blond steadily, not even daring to blink should he miss something in the half a second it took to close and open his eyes. Draco only chuckled before walking over to his tall lover, quick slender fingers making fast work of the other man's jeans and dropped them to the floor. Then without saying another word, he walked back to the tub to check the water level, before reaching to turn off the facets and stripped out of his remaining clothing and stepped in. Ron took the opportunity to strip out of his boxers while the other had his back to him and quickly stepped down into the large basin, letting out a huge sigh as the water instantly warmed him up.

'Ah now, this is nice.' Draco only watched him with a grin as the other man closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the rim of the tub; he waited for a few minutes, before making his way to where his lover was sitting, reaching his arms around the other man's neck, sitting on his lap. Ron opened his eyes as he gazed up at his fair haired lover, leaning forward a little.

'So is it all right to touch you now?' He asked with a slight snicker, his hands already placing feathery touches along the blond's sides; Draco only replied with a kiss, Ron accepting it eagerly as he reached his arms around to pull the smaller body closer to him.

-8-

The advantage of being out in the middle of nowhere, far from the city, is how clear the night sky looked; and against the untouched winter snow it was almost like stepping into an ethereal world. Bright blue eyes gazed up at the quarter moon shining through the large glass plane windows; a content sigh escaped soft rose lips, before the same blue eyes gazed into icy grey staring up at them.

Ron tenderly laced his fingers through silver blond locks, gazing at his lover with a tender smile; Draco sighed as he leaned his chin on the other man's chest, gazing at him lovingly. After several moments of silence and content with simply staring at each other, Ron shifted a little, before speaking.

'So – are we actually gonna leave the cabin at all, or just stay cooped up for the next three weeks?' He teased; the blond laughing softly as he half laid on the mattress and half on his lover's chest.

'It wouldn't hurt to explore the town nearby once in a while. Besides, I think it's a good idea to check up on Anabel and Jason on occasions.'

'You think they'll do anything?'

'Probably not, but then again – Anabel is just full of surprises.' Ron scoffed softly in reply to that; Anabel's timid appearance certain was deceiving at times. The trip to the carnival had proven that well enough. Draco pulled himself forward a little so he could reach the other's lips, capturing them in a soft, yet enticing kiss; he felt strong, steady arms reach around his waist, assisting him in pulling him closer to the firm body underneath him. He unfolded his hands, a slender pale hand wondering around the other's chest till the tip of his fingers brushed over the auburn hair man's nipple. Ron's breath hitched as Draco fondled with it with his fingers, pulling back from the kiss.

'Oy – we just did it an hour ago – several times, might I add.'

'Please – an hour is more then enough time for you to recover. I know you've got better stamina then that.' Draco snorted, before pushing himself on his arms so he was hovering over the taller man. Ron only gazed up at him with a smirk, reaching a hand out to gently caress his lover's cheek.

'In that case, guess we'll be staying in for the first day.' Draco barely laughed before his lover pulled him down to capture his mouth, the blond letting out a low moan as he felt those strong hands caress gently down his body.

He had a feeling that this would be the best Christmas he's had since … never.

-- Chapter Seven --

* * *

More to come soon :)


	8. Chapter 8

Wow – this came out quicker than I expected … which is probably why I'm not too fond of this chapter … meh, written this much, don't feel like re-writing it again (done that several times already – which is another reason why I take so long to update sometimes, ehe…). Probably could've been better, but overall I guess I like how this chapter came out – more to come soon

**Warnings:** AU (Alternate Universe); no magic is involved; may contain some minor sexual content as the story progresses.

I, in no way, own Harry Potter or any of the characters I'm about to exploit in this story. All characters, unless said otherwise, belong to J.K Rowling. She's making the money, not me…

* * *

**-- Chapter Eight --**

'You do know I've never skied before, right?' Ron questioned his boyfriend suspiciously, raising an eyebrow at him as the blond lead them into the ski lodge. Draco causally shrugged his shoulders, giving his suspecting lover a grin.

'Then perhaps now is a good time to learn how.' He replied causally, briefly glancing around to find the reception desk to sign in for the day, and then searching for the rental sign. Ron tugged his winter cap off, glancing around slightly nervous of the people surrounding him; as expected, there weren't just "normal" families here to enjoy a winter retreat, but he could pick out a few wealthy looking families as well. He had heard from the blond that this area was fairly popular due to the fact that it was ideal for winter sports, and several slopes with varying difficult levels for all sorts. Ron rubbed the back of his neck as he watched a group of girls head out of the building, each with a pair of skis in their hands; he could tell from their designer winter wear that they were daughters of rich families.

'There we go, all settled in for the day. They even recommended an instructor for you, love.' Ron jumped slightly as Draco spoke, heading the taller man a pamphlet and a square piece of paper with a name written neatly on it. The auburn hair man flipped thru the pamphlet, seeing something else catching his attention from the corner of his eye. He turned his head to the side, blinking for a moment, before opening his mouth wide in realisation, pointing a finger to the couple just walking past them.

'You two!' Both Anabel and Jason jumped a little, turning their heads to face the other couple, Anabel nearly dropping the pair of skis she was carrying in her hands. Draco looked slightly surprised and amused at the same time, as they took a while to settle down; Anabel brushed her hair behind her ear, giving them a wide smile.

'This is very surprising! We didn't expect to see you two here.'

'Indeed – Annie and I figured you two would just spend the whole three weeks in the cabin.' Jason commented, the grin on his face made it clear to both men what he was implying; a tint of pink spread across Ron's face, Draco lightly punching the fair haired man on the arm.

'I think we'd both go a little crazy if we did that.' Jason faked a wince as he rubbed the area where Draco hit him, before grinning at them. He bent down to pick up the board he had set down on the floor, taking Anabel around the shoulder and started to lead her out.

'Well, we've got all our stuff, so we'll be off. Maybe we'll see each other on the slopes, hey?'

'Ah maybe – see if I can get this guy past the easy stuff first.' Draco teased, Ron hitting him on the arm as the hint of pink darkened, becoming clearly visible against his pale rose skin. Anabel and Jason laughed a little as they bid them good luck and headed out the door. Draco took his lover by the hand, and started pulling them towards the rental desk.

'Well, shall we get ourselves set up and out on to the snow?' Ron sighed as he let the shorter man walk him over to the desk, shaking his head.

'Might as well; even if I say no, you hardly ever listen to me.' Draco grinned softly at him, quickly glancing around to make sure no one was watching, before reaching up to give a quick peck on the taller man's cheek. Ron put a hand to his face, staring at the blond with wide eyes, flustered one word sentences coming out of his mouth. Draco only laughed, ringing the bell on the desk to call someone attention; Ron sighed and shook his head.

'Honestly – will it kill you to be a little more discreet?'

'Oh come now, you know it wasn't as bad as it looked.'

'I really wonder what I see in you sometimes.'

'You know you love me for it.'

**-8-**

The edge of the skis plowed easily through the snow as he glided gracefully down the slope, kicking up a small wave of snow as he slowed himself to a halt; Draco pulled his ski goggles off from over his eyes and let it rest on his head. He must've done this slope a hundred times before once he had learned how to properly ski, but he admit there were still a few twists and turns that still surprised him. The blond pouted a little as he glanced up the hill behind him; in near distance he could see a figure easily making their way down the hill with little effort. To think, that this was only the third day and already he was this good.

Ron crouched down low on his board as his speed increased, racing down the hill while maneuvering left and right as he made his way down. He had given up on skiing after the first two hours on the first day, so Jason had suggested he try snow boarding; the auburn hair man decided to try it and was already boarding without an instructor by the second day.

Draco pouted as he watched his lover surf down the slope with easy and even performed a trick while doing so; he hadn't learned to guide this slope until after ten lessons and as for tricks – he was never one for performing. A small smile graced his lips, however despite himself; Ron did have a knack for sports, so perhaps it was a given he'd be better at something like snowboarding.

'Oh, now there's a cute one.'

'Which one?'

'The one in the red parker – on the snow board.' Draco turned his attention to a small group of three women standing at the bottom of the slope near him; they were dressed in sleek silver-white and pastel color suits, one was wearing what could only be a designer set of goggles, and one had white leather gloves. They were no doubt high class socialites or rich men's wives.

'Oh, he is cute – oh! Wow, did you see that?'

'Wonder if he's an athlete; he looks so professional.' Icy grey eyes glared in their direction; he knew who they were talking – they were talking about _his_ boyfriend that was coming down the slope. None of the women seemed to notice the imaginary hole the blond was burning into the side of their heads, one woman (a blond) reaching a hand to curl her hair playfully.

'I wonder if he's got a girlfriend.' Another with dark brown hair batted her gently on the arm, a teasing tone to her as she spoke.

'You already got a man – let someone else have fun.' The blond only shrugged, giving a flirtatious grin.

'Never hurts to have one or two more.' All three of them laughed, as they watched the auburn hair man make his way down the slope. Draco gritted his teeth at their conversation; this is why he hated high society girls. Although he knew Ron had no interest and would certainly turn them down, it still didn't stop the anger and possessiveness from rising in his chest. He barely noticed Ron come to stop just in front of him, the taller man pulling his goggles down to hang around his neck.

'Hey – everything all right, Draco?' He asked, slightly concerned at the serious look on his lover's face. Draco didn't say anything, not taking his eyes off the women still ogling over his boyfriend. Ron was about to reach a hand out for the blond's shoulder, when the harden ice grey eyes turned to face him; before he could say anything, Draco stabbed the ski poles into the ground, reached his arms around the taller man's neck and pulled him into a kiss. Starling blue eyes went wide in shock and surprise as he felt the blond pry his mouth open with his tongue, taking the opportunity to slip it in as he tightened his hold. After several minutes, Draco pulled away, the blush on Ron's face covering from the tip of his nose to tips of his ears; he glanced over to where the women were standing, pleased to see the shocked expressions on their faces. The blond gave them a cocky grin as he gently nuzzled the crook of his lover's neck, seeing them suddenly duck their heads and quickly push off and head over to another slope.

A satisfied grin spread across his face as he mentally congratulated himself on a job well done; though speaking of jobs – he glanced up at his lover's face, seeing Ron staring at him in disbelief.

'Have – have you gone _nutters_!? What if someone recognized you?!' He distressed, although he still hadn't made the effort to disengage himself from the shorter man's arms. Draco only causally sighed as he shrugged his shoulders, letting his arms rest loosely on broad shoulders.

'No one's going to recognize me.' Ron raised an eyebrow at him, finally deciding to brush the slender arms off his shoulders.

'You're not exactly an unknown figure, you know; so how, pray tell, will no one recognize you?' Draco picked up his poles from the snow, shifting himself to a position that was ready to head over to the next hill.

'My mother hates the cold, so we usually come during the off season – when no one is around. So no one is going to know my face, well – not those who come regularly during the season.'

'You are horrible sometimes; I have a right mind to forbid sex for the next week.'

'Come now, love, you know wouldn't last a whole week without sex.' Draco teased, reaching to pull his goggles down back over his eyes; Ron only scoffed as he cocked his head in the other direction.

'Please, I have more self control then you think; better then a certain someone I know, who can barely last an hour without at least kissing me.'

'All right – how about a little wager then: race down to the bottom, if you win I promise to accept your punishment and will refrain from any affections for a week.' Draco proposed; Ron gazed at him with slight interest, rubbing the side of his chin.

'Hm, all right – absolutely no affections for a week – including petting.' Draco grimaced slightly, which didn't go unnoticed, but quickly replaced it with a sneaky grin.

'Fine, including petting – however if I win, no punishment, and … you have to let me be on top.' Ron nearly fell back on his behind at that, wavering his arms to regain his balance as he stared at the blond in slight disbelief; Draco frowned slightly at the reaction.

'Oh come on, Ron – it's been ages since you let me top you.' He whined; Ron scratched the back of his neck, the tips of his ears were burning from embarrassment.

'Y-yeah, well – I thought you said you liked taking it.' He questioned; the blond looking at him with a slight seductive grin.

'Yeah, I do, but sometimes I want to repay the favor, you know. I want to make you feel the way you make me do.'

'That's so cliché it's actually heart warming.' Draco only laughed as he gently whacked Ron on the leg with his ski pole, the auburn hair man flinching as he was hit. Once they had stopped joking, Draco positioned himself into a starting position, gazing at the taller man daringly. Ron readied himself, lifting one foot off the board and on to the ground to be ready to push off.

'So – first one to the bottom wins?'

'Sounds like a plan to me.'

'All right – on the count of three … one …'

'…Two…'

'Three!' They both pushed off and then headed down as fast as they could go; Draco glanced over at Ron briefly, the auburn hair man giving him a cocky smirk before pushing off to avoid a row of trees separating them. Draco grinned smugly to himself; even if Ron had practically mastered the art of snowboarding, the blond knew this hill better then he did and knew all the little secrets that would guarantee a sure fire way to the bottom before the other man. He chuckled softly to himself – he was going to win, no doubts about it.

**-8-**

Draco tried to coax his lover to smile a little, but the other man refused to show so much as a hint of a smile as he sulked, hand in pocket and the snowboard resting on his shoulder. As predicted, Draco had won their little race, and now Ron was trapped at the mercy of his fair haired lover, not sure whether to take this as a pleasant thing or a bad thing; though right now, he still hadn't gotten over the fact he had lost, so for now it was a bad thing. Draco gently nudged him in the side, as he leaned his head against the taller man's shoulder.

'Oh come on, don't be such a spoil sport, love.'

'…I still say you cheated.' Ron muttered under his breath, but Draco caught every word, sighing as he shook his head; it didn't stop him from grinning triumphantly though. They returned the skis and board, the blond reaching a finger to gently tap the former redhead on the nose.

'You'll see – it won't seem so bad after this week is over; I bet you'll probably even forget you were mad about it in the first place.' Ron only snorted as he rolled eyes, crossing his arms over his chest, but Draco didn't mind. He glanced around the relatively empty lodge, before reaching up to capture the other's lips with his.

'Ah, sorry for the bother, and thanks for the ice.' He stopped half way at the familiar voice, tilting his head to glance around his lover, Ron looking over his shoulder to see Jason returning an ice pack to the woman sitting behind the desk. The gardener blinked a bit, before turning his attention towards them, giving them a smile and waving a hand.

'Hey, fancy meeting you two here again.'

'Is everything all right? What was the ice pack for?' Jason scratched the back of his head at the question, a sheepish expression coming to his tanned features.

'Ah, about that – Anabel had a bit of an accident.' Both Ron and Draco looked worried, glancing at each other before following after the sandy hair man to where Anabel was sitting on the chairs by the doors. They both winced as they spotted that her right ankle was red and swollen. The young brunette glanced up at them nervously, greeting them a slight pained expression on her face as she tried to give them a cheery smile.

'Anabel, what happened? Are you all right?'

'I just twisted it a bit; it's really not that serious.' She excused, trying to move her leg a little to show she was all right, but she hissed at the sharp pain that shot up her leg. Jason sighed, gently patting her on the shoulder as he explained what happened; apparently her right ski had caught on a rock that had been hidden in the snow. Her ski twisted inwards, she lost her balance and ended up falling on top of her ankle while it was in an awkward position. Both men winced slightly, before gazing at her sympathetically.

'The doctor said it's nothing serious and that she'll be fine in about eight to ten days, but she's gotta stay off it till then.' Jason explained; Anabel folded her hands across her lap, giving Draco and Ron an apologetic smile.

'I guess we won't be seeing each other for while, unless you come visit us at my family's retreat.'

'Hope you feel better, Anabel.' Ron said; Anabel smiled softly at him, before reaching her hand out to him. The auburn hair man hesitated a bit, before reaching his own hand to take hers, the young woman giving it a tight squeeze as she gritted her teeth against the pain.

'Thank you, Ron – hope you two enjoy the rest of your vacation.' Ron smiled, gently shaking her hand as he nodded his head; now he understood that the woman wanted to give him a friendly hug, but was unable to since she couldn't stand up to her feet. Jason cleared his throat, pointing out that it was getting late and that they should be heading back to their respective cabins. They all agreed, seeing that the sun was beginning to sink lower in the sky; it was not a good idea to drive in the snow when it was nightfall.

Anabel was about to attempt to push herself up when Jason reached his arms under her and lifted her effortless up from the chair. The young woman blushed, slightly complaining that he didn't need to do such things for her; Jason only grinned as he gently kissed her on the cheek.

'Ah now, don't ruin the moment, Annie; it's rare I get to cater to you like this.'

'Don't you cater to me like this anyways?' Anabel retorted, the pink on her cheeks was steadily growing darker; Jason laughed softly as he carried her out the door.

'Yeah, but this time I actually have an excuse to do so, so you can't argue against me this time!' Anabel sighed as she gazed at him lovingly, reaching her arms around his neck as she pressed her forehead to his.

'You spoil me too much.'

'Ah, it's what I do, dear.' Ron and Draco only watched as the couple disappeared out the door, before turning to glance at each other with a warm gaze; Draco could see a slight sparkle in his lover's bright blue eyes. He reached a hand out for the other man, Ron letting him take his hand as he walked them out of the lodge; he didn't mind, at this late of time, hardly anyone was around and right now – even if there was someone around, the auburn hair man found he didn't care.

They walked across the parking lot toward the rental car that parked among the very few that were still around, reluctantly releasing the other's hand as they headed to different sides of the vehicle, Draco unlocking the doors. The inside was chilly as expected, both shivering slightly as the blond hurried with the key to start the engine and start getting some heat circulating. He felt a hand rest on his thigh, glancing over to the owner gazing at him with a tender smile; Draco smiled back at him, reaching over to capture the other man's lips in a quick, searing kiss, before taking the car out of park and drove them back to the cabin.

**-- Chapter Eight --**

* * *

Oops – Anabel had a tad little accident … at least it was nothing serious. Oh and just to let it be known, I've never skied before, but I have been snowboarding … snowboarding is fun, but it's sooooo tiring! You're using muscles you generally _never_ use … Anyways – more to come and more fluff ahead … and maybe some slash, well – no … just more fluff … wow, I'm surprised I can even _make_ these guys "fluffy" o.o


	9. Chapter 9

Yikes – shorter than what I usually do, I know, but I didn't want to write the next part out yet, cuz something exciting (well, maybe that's the wrong word … ), erm or something will happen … well, not like good exciting, I mean like kinda bad …? Well, anyways – something big is gonna happen in the next chapter! O.o

**Warnings:** AU (Alternate Universe); no magic is involved; may contain some minor sexual content as the story progresses.

I, in no way, own Harry Potter or any of the characters I'm about to exploit in this story. All characters, unless said otherwise, belong to J.K Rowling. She's making the money, not me…

* * *

**-- ****Chapter Nine**** --**

They hiked up the stairs huddled close together, the snow falling lightly around the pair as Draco quickly pulled the keys out of his pocket and opened the door to let them in. Ron let out a loud sigh at the warmth that greeted them as they entered, pulling his scarf down from his nose. Draco closed the door shut quickly behind them, pulling off his own scarf from his neck, then shrugged off his winter coat; Ron followed suit, handing his scarf and jacket to the blond who hung them up on the coat rack.

'Ah… so nice to be inside a warm place.' Ron commented, rubbing his hands together trying to warm them up; Draco only chuckled as he finished hanging up the coats, before making his way over to the auburn hair man and wrapped his arms around the other's neck. The taller man barely managed a word before the blond captured his lips, using Ron's surprise to slip his tongue in with little effort. Ron let out a slight moan, before reaching his arms to gently push the smaller frame away from him, breaking their kiss.

'Not so fast, love. Dinner first, then you can do whatever you like after.' Draco gave him a pout, pressing his body against the boarder frame as he gently nuzzled the other man's neck.

'Nu-uh, not hungry for food love.' Despite having said that, his stomach gave a rather loud, complaining grumble. Ron couldn't help but burst out laughing at the blush that appeared across the blond's face, the embarrassed expression accompanying it was just too adorable a combo. Draco tried to dignify himself, roughly whacking the former redhead on the arm.

'S-shut up! It's not that funny.'

'I'm sorry, but the timing on that – that was just too perfect.' Ron managed in between his laughter; Draco tried to glare at him, but it turned more into a pout before sulking off to sit by the fire place, throwing his hands up in the air.

'Fine! So I'm hungry too; why don't you just get that pretty little arse of yours into the kitchen then.'

'Fine, fine.' Ron replied with a slight snicker, before heading off towards the kitchen entrance way just off to the side of the main room. He glanced over his shoulder briefly to see his fair haired lover slump down on the couch ungracefully, glaring into the currently unlit fire place; he sighed then continued on into the kitchen. He flipped the switch on, the room filling with a warm, orange tinted light; it was a little more spacious than what he was used to working in, but having the extra room in the kitchen made it easier to attempt the few more complicated dishes he knew how to cook.

He never imagined that he'd be the more domestic type while growing up, but after having to consider that he'd be mostly on his own once he finished school, it would have to be a necessary skill. Ron leaned an arm against the counter top as he thought about what to make for him and Draco; finally deciding on something quick and simple since they were both hungry right now.

A small smile graced his lips as he remembered the first time he asked Remus to teach him to cook; apparently it seemed like an unexpected thing for him to ask something like that, but Remus agreed to help. Ron made a quick mental note in his head – it's been a long while since he's talked with either Remus or Sirius, and figured once the holidays were over, he would give them a call. After all, they had been there for him when his parents hadn't been, and he was grateful to both men for their support during the roughest period of his life. With that in mind, Ron continued to rummage around the kitchen looking for the necessary ingredients and essentials to prepare dinner.

-8-

The crystal white moon rose steadily high into the sky, shining brighter then the diamond sparkling stars blinking softly around it; the fresh layer of snow was lit with a tint of blue from the dark night sky, the trees casting almost earthly spiritual shadows against this soft white blanket. The lights of the room were dimmed, the only truly bright source of light coming from the lit fire as it crackled and popped as it burned.

Draco traced the contours of the other man's bare chest lightly with his finger, half lying on the soft fur rug and half on the firm body beneath him. Ron had his eyes closed, one hand half consciously petting soft, silken blond hair as he contented with listening to the fire crackling. Draco slipped the robe further apart, exposing more of the rose blush skin, before gently trailing kissing along the exposed flesh; Ron squirmed a little, tenderly tugging on silver locks.

'Don't …'

'Why not?' Draco asked, but he didn't stop with his loving rain of kisses, feeling the other man tug a little harder on his hair.

'We've already done it several times – and practically everywhere already,' Ron complained softly, not once opening his eyes. 'Besides – I'm dead tired, and I'd like to get a decent amount of sleep tonight.'

Draco pouted a little, before pushing himself on his arms to hover over the auburn hair man.

'Well, what if I could put you in the mood? Would you want to do it then?'

'Mmm, sure … whatever …' Came the muttered reply; Draco let out a silent sigh before gently prodding the other man in the cheek. Ron didn't even flinch. Draco let out a small frustrated sigh, as he glared at his lover with a child like pout.

_He really did fall asleep…_ He thought to himself; a tender smile replaced the pout, however, the blond gazing softly at the sleeping man, before reaching down to place a soft peck on slightly parted lips.

'All right, you win this time, love. See you in the morning.' He whispered softly, brushing aside strands of red brown locks from the peaceful face. The blond quietly shuffled around and began pulling the cushions and pillows off from the chairs around them; he knew he didn't have the strength to carry, much less drag, the other man up the stairs to the bedroom and began making a make shift bed to sleep on here. He stood up and walked over to a closet just situated in the wall left to the fire place and pulled out a few spare blankets, before going back over to where his lover was sleeping soundly and spread them over him to keep him warm. Draco laid himself down next to Ron, snuggling close to him as he pulled the blanket up over himself; he reached an arm across the taller man's waist, before letting his eyes fall shut to let sleep take over him.

'Night Ron – I love you.' The reply was very soft and muddled, but he heard it all the same.

'… love you too …'

**-- ****Chapter Nine**** --**

* * *

Heh – wow, I make these two really fluffy (Draco – fluff? I know – scary, isn't it? O.o ); anyways, I promise I'm working on the other story(ies) … it's just … going slowly … I should have Chapter 3 of the semi prequel to this up soon … I hope …

More to come! :D


	10. Chapter 10

Um – yeah, no excuses this time –hides- I shouldn't gotten this out sooner, but – aye… laziness is a curse!! Anyways – can't say much for this chapter, but something happens! –le gasp!-

**Warnings:** AU (Alternate Universe); no magic is involved; may contain some minor sexual content as the story progresses.

I, in no way, own Harry Potter or any of the characters I'm about to exploit in this story. All characters, unless said otherwise, belong to J.K Rowling. She's making the money, not me…

* * *

**-- ****Chapter Ten**** --**

The bleak sky rained lightly with new fallen snow as the sun managed to shimmer out of the gray clouds, and weakly lit the day ahead of it. The town was busier than usually during this time of day, and being that it was the twenty-fourth of December; it was filled with tourists and families on vacation and even some local last minute shoppers. Draco took a moment pause to gaze up at the fresh looking white blue sky, holding his hand out as the snowflakes fell gently from the sky; he let out a soft breath, seeing it mingle in the frosty air, before shaking the flakes of snow off his glove and placed his hand in his pocket again.

Ron had asked if they go do a little bit of shopping, since he was planning to make them a special dinner for tonight, being that it was Christmas Eve. Draco agreed, but they've split up along the way and would meet up later at the assigned check point once the time given was up. A tender smile graced his lips at the thought of spending the entire evening alone with the former redhead; in all the years they have been dating, Draco could not recall once spending Christmas with Ron. As a teen, of course he had been forced to spend it with his parents, and whoever else they decided to invite to their usual "Christmas Parties"; even after he had moved out and found a place of his own, there always seemed to be something that prevented him and Ron from having even a decent Christmas together.

A light, cheery tune drew him from his thought; Draco quickly fished for his phone from his pocket, flipping it open and replied.

'Hello?'

'_Hey, it's Jason. Didn't get an answer at the cabin, so figured you and Ron were out._'

'Yeah, Ron wanted to do a little grocery shopping.' Draco said light heartily, hearing the other man chuckle slightly.

'_Ah, must be nice – so I take it he's the "housewife" of this relationship?_'

'… no comment; how's Anabel's ankle looking?' He asked; the blond could hear the man on the other end let out a sigh as he spoke.

'_Well, it definitely looks better than a few days ago, but she's been trying to walk on it. I keep telling her to let it be, but you know – Annie's stubborn._'

'Yeah, we sort of figured that out at the carnival.' They both laughed, before moving on to other topic matters; Draco glanced around the windows of the shops as he talked with Jason, occasionally hearing Anabel in the background when he made a comment outloud to her.

'So, are you two doing anything special for Christmas Eve?' Draco asked curiously; a tenderness came to the gardener's voice as he spoke, his tone suddenly softening a little.

'_We're keeping it simple; her mother overdoes things, so I think Annie will like this. I even got her a simple gift for her._'

'Sounds like you've got your evening planned … oh shit!' A sudden thought hit him as Draco realised something.

'_What? Everything all right?_' Jason asked, his tone turning slightly frantic; Draco buried his face in his hand as he spoke.

'I've been so wrapped up with this whole "engagement" deal, I completely forgot to a get a gift for Ron.'

'_Ah, is that it … well, you're in town now, aren't you? I'm sure you can find something there._' Jason suggested, slightly relieved that it hadn't been anything serious; Draco sighed as he glanced around the street.

'I just – not sure what I could get him this time; he doesn't look it, but he's hard to shop for sometimes.'

'_Just keep it simple; sometimes that's the best thing you can do. Besides – I think you know him better than that._' A soft smile came to delicate features, Draco letting out a soft sigh as he hummed.

'I suppose that's true in a way.'

'_Ah – I got to help Annie with something. We'll talk to you guys later – probably after Christmas day._'

'All right, I'll let Ron know that she's doing all right.' They both said their goodbyes before hanging up; Draco placed his phone back into his pocket before crossing his arms over his chest as he tried to think. Perhaps something simple would be the best gift for Ron, but as to what that "simple" thing should be was the hard part to answer. The blond sighed as he scratched the back of his head; he glanced to the window display besides him, a silver gleam catching his attention. Draco stared at the pendent with slight interest, before a smile came to his face; he walked towards the door of the shop, a little bell ringing as he pushed open the door. A woman around her mid-thirty, appeared from a back room, greeting him with a warm smile.

'Welcome sir; is there anything I can help you with?'

'There was pendent in the window – may I see it?' The woman bowed her head, moving out from behind the counter and walked over to the window display, slowly drawing the display drawer out.

'Which one would you like to see?' Draco pointed out the one that caught his attention, steady hands reaching in to pick up his choice and handed it to the blond so he could inspect it. Draco turned it over in his fingers several times, gazing at it from all angles, before turning to the store owner.

'I would like to purchase this one, please.'

'Very well sir. And it's very lucky for you – that's the last one we have in our current stock.' She took it from his hands and walked over to the cashier to ring up the price; she then placed in it in a small box, before wrapping it up and handed it to him.

'It was almost bought just a few moments ago, but the last costumer changed their mind.'

'Then it is lucky that they did.' Draco commented absent-mindedly as he handed her the money for the pendent. The woman smiled at him gently as she rung up the cash registered and sorted out the amount he gave her and the change he needed back.

'Is it going to be for someone special? A lover or some sorts?' She asked curiously, handing him his change; Draco nodded his head, pocketing away the coins before picking up the neatly wrapped box.

'Mm – it's for my lover, and I'm pretty sure they'll like it.' The woman sighed dreamily before bidding him a good day and a happy holiday; Draco wished the same tidings to her before stepping out of the shop. He glanced down at his wrist watch to see that he was about to be five minutes past the time he and Ron were suppose to meet at their check point. He quickly put the wrapped box into his coat pocket, before rushing off to go meet up with Ron.

**-8-**

The air was filled with a sweet coating as the tempting scents of food being prepared drifted through the room. Ron let out a sigh as he glanced up at the clock; still had a bit of time before the roast would be finished. He quickly checked over his head to make sure he didn't miss anything while preparing tonight's dinner for him and Draco, staring around the kitchen to double check. Seeing that nothing was array, he let his thoughts wonder away from him, his mind unconsciously slipping back to his family. He wondered how his parents have been getting along, and he was too afraid to ask Ginny or Bill about them.

He had been so lost in his thoughts, he didn't hear the blond sneak up behind him, hugging him tight around the waist. Ron jumped slightly, hearing a low chuckle against his shoulder.

'Sorry – did I startle you?'

'Ah – only a little bit.' Ron replied, gazing over his shoulder to the shorter man standing behind him. Draco sniffed the air in the kitchen, before snuggling his face against the broad shoulder.

'It smells delicious, love. Can't wait for dinner.'

'Still have another ten minutes left.' Draco only smiled, before slowly pulling back from his auburn hair lover; he reached a hand around the taller man's neck, pulling him down for a quick kiss, one which Ron didn't protest against, kissing him back. They pulled apart, Draco leaning an arm on the other's shoulder as he gazed up at him tenderly.

'You're putting a lot of effort into this, Ron.'

'Well, of course – it's not often we get to spend Christmas like this; besides, this is a family favourite. Mum always cooked it at Christmas time … well, not that I was there for all of them after …' Ron suddenly trailed off, and Draco could see the pain reflecting in his bright blue eyes. Draco gazed at him softly; it wouldn't do to have Ron depressed when they purposefully came here to forget about those horrible things – even if it was only temporary.

'Ouch!' The blond yelped, gently rubbing his hand that Ron had smacked away from the pudding it had been trying to reach. The former redhead looked at him with a nagging glance, pointing to the doorway of the kitchen.

'No sampling – you'll spoil your appetite.'

'Ow – geeze, you're no fun you know that?'

'You can wait till _after_ dinner for dessert.' Ron calmly stated; Draco grumbled under his breath before marching out of the kitchen.

'Thank you, though.' Draco paused at the doorway at that soft voice; a slight smile came to his face, before he blew a kiss over his shoulder.

'I guess that's worth getting slapped on the wrist.' He teased; Ron only laughed and shook his head, before gesturing him to leave the kitchen and wait in the living room by the blazing fire. Ron leaned back against the counter top, a tender smile on his face; ever since coming here – making meals for them like this, lounging around the cabin, or sometimes going out with each other – he wondered if this is what it'd be like if they lived together.

The thought seemed almost too far fetched, but being like this – Ron felt that perhaps it would be all right to live with Draco under the same roof in the future. He had been so worried and concerned that they'd be found out, he had been afraid to even visit the blond in his own home. Ron glanced at the clock, seeing there was still a little bit of time left before he'd have to pull the roast out of the oven.

_Maybe …I wouldn't mind living with him like this …_ He thought to himself; he hadn't the courage yet to mention his thoughts to Draco yet (knowing that the blond would full well jump at the idea without thought), but he figured to wait till he and Anabel dispersed this engagement plan before making plans of their own with his fair haired lover.

He closed his eyes for a moment as his thoughts wondered away from him again, before opening them again and looked up at the clock – it should be done by now. Ron pushed himself away from the counter and picked up the oven mitts from the surface, going over to the oven to carefully open the door to check on the meat first, before turning it off and pulled the cooked roast from the oven.

**-8-**

Draco put his utensils down before stretching his arms above his head, leaning back against his chair; Ron only watched him with an amused smile as he wiped his mouth clean.

'I take it you enjoyed your meal, then?'

'It was fabulous, love. You make a surprisingly good cook, you know.' Draco teased; he had never expected Ron to be quite domestic like this when they were growing up. The auburn hair man gently whacked him on the arm, before standing up to his feet to clear away the table.

'I've had practice – mind you, I think I nearly killed Harry and Sirius once with food poisoning when I first started learning.' Draco only laughed, gently nudging the other man on the arm.

'Well, fortunate for me that you've gotten better.' Ron only sighed as he smiled, before he nagged the blond to help him clean up, convincing him by saying the faster the table was cleared and the leftovers put away, the faster they'd have time to spend in front of the fire. Defeated, Draco sighed and stood up from his chair, helping his lover gather up the soiled dishes and put them in the kitchen sink.

Once the table was cleared and the food put away, Draco quickly ducked into the small closet tucked in the corner of the kitchen, Ron staring after him curiously. The blond came back with a bottle of wine in his hand, holding it up for the other to see; Ron stared at him suspiciously, shaking his head.

'You know I don't drink.'

'Come on – it's Christmas Eve, Ron. Besides, this is a good year and I'm certainly not going to let you pass it up.' Ron frowned at him, but Draco tried to pull the old teary eyes, child trick which made him laugh a little at the attempt.

'All right, fine – since its Christmas Eve.' Draco grinned at him, before reaching a hand for the cupboard next to him and grabbed two wine glasses with one hand, nudging the cupboard door shut. He gestured towards the living room and headed towards the fire place, Ron following after him.

'Mind you – only one glass, unless you want to deal with a drunk.'

'I wouldn't worry too much, love. You're tolerance is higher than you give yourself credit for.' Draco commented, putting the glasses down on the side table by the couch, before using the cork screw he picked up along the way to pop the cork off the bottle. He filled each half-way with the dark red liquid; he picked up both glasses, heading one to Ron. He held his up to the other man.

'Cheers.'

'Likewise.' Ron replied causally, holding his glass up as the two softly clinked their glasses together.

**-8-**

The brightly orange and yellow fire burned softly, the wood cracking and popping as it continued to burn. Draco leaned back against the couch behind him, lightly laughing at the man sitting next to him, his head on his shoulder. Ron laughed for no reason, alternating between staring into the burning fire to the empty glass he held in his hand; he probably shouldn't have, but Draco had encouraged him to drink a little more. The former redhead ended up having two and half glasses, but he still had a stable mind – more or less so.

Draco took a slip from his own glass; this was only his third and while he had a better tolerance then his far-off lover, he was slowly beginning to feel the wine's affect. Ron finally managed to stop laughing, a huge silly grin on his face as he glanced up at Draco from the corner of his eye.

'Told ya I cand drink – now you've gone and gotten me drunk.'

'You're not drunk yet if you can admit it.' Draco teased, the auburn hair man started laughing again, staring into the fire again as he calmed down a little.

'Ah – 'uppose so…'

A calm silence followed, only broken by the crackling of the fire; Draco gazed at his lover's face, before a sudden reminder hit him in his on coming haziness. He propped Ron against the couch to ensure the other man wouldn't topple over when he moved to get and headed over to the coat rack to search through his coat pocket. Ron blinked lazily at him as the blond sat back down on the shaggy fur rug, holding up a small, rectangular box to his lover.

'Merry Christmas, Ron.' The other man looked at him in slight surprise, before reaching out hesitantly to take the box from the blond. Ron stared at it for several minutes, before slowly tearing apart the simple wrapping paper around it; he flicked the tiny latch open and pulled back the cover, his eyes going slightly wide as he made a small noise of surprise.

'Oh wow – this is – this is beautiful!' Draco couldn't help but smile at the reaction, watching as careful fingers pulled the pendant out from it protective box. Ron stared at the pendant, turning it over and over in his fingers; depending on how you looked it, you could see what looked like two people holding each other close, the tip of their noses touching softly against each other, and their arms wrapped tenderly around the other. If you were to look at it another, it seemed like there was a tribal-like heart shape, a circle of infinity passing through it as if to describe a love that would never be broken and eternal continue in an infinite circle.

Ron stopped turning it over, gazing at it with a warm, loving expression; despite the influence of the alcohol, he could clearly understand the meaning and symbolizes behind the shapes.

'I take it you like it then?' Draco asked; Ron looked at him like his crazy, giving him a soft grin.

'You kidding – I love it!' The blond laughed at the response; Ron began fiddling with the clasp, but his unsteady hands at the moment were making it difficult to unhook it. Draco took it from his hands and undid the clasp, before reaching around the other man's neck and hooked it together. Ron adjusted the chain more comfortable on his neck, before holding the pendant in his hand.

'Thank you, and – I'm sorry.'

'For what?'

'That I didn't get anything for you; I've just been so busy with work lately, I didn't get a chance to go out and get something for you too.' Draco only smiled, before reaching his arms around the other's neck once more, pulling him in close so that their foreheads were lightly touching.

'Just having you here, alone with me, is the best gift I could ever ask for.' Ron smiled at him tenderly, before reaching to wrap his arms around the small, slender waist; Draco leaned up to capture his lips, Ron letting his mouth drop open as he felt the blond's tongue run along his bottom lip. Draco took the opportunity to slip his tongue, feeling the other moan against his mouth; he took the empty glass from Ron's hand and set it aside, before slowly pushing him flat on his back against the white fur rug.

**-8-**

A sheer stream of light shone through the angel white clouds, the snow slipping slowly off the evergreen leaves to pile up on the ground below. The morning air was stilled and silent as the birds had flown to warmer conditions earlier this year, other creatures tucked buried in their underground homes and asleep for the long winter night's sleep. The silence was a calming, smoothing tone, the snow laying untouched by human or animal footsteps.

Draco winced at the persistent ringing tone of sounded like Bach no. 12 piercing through the quiet air. He gently poked his lover asleep aside of him in the bed, Ron snorted a little in his sleep as he stirred awake.

'If that's your phone, you are so dead.' Draco muttered; Ron glanced over his shoulder, his mind taking a while to register the sound of what was unmistakably a phone ringing. He groaned slightly, before reaching a hand to rub the sleep from his eyes.

'Sorry … guess I forgot to turn it off yesterday.' The blond rolled his eyes; Ron slowly sat up from the bed, before tossing the covers aside and moved to stand up. Draco grabbed him by the arm, pulling him back into bed.

'Ignore it.'

'Nh-huh, I know that ring tone – that's Ginny's number; I'll never hear the end of it if I don't answer her.' Draco growled a little before letting his arm go, and rolled back over to his side as he let out a frustrated sigh; Ron shook his head before walking over to where his bag was, not bothering to find something to put on as he searched for the insistent ringing phone. Finally finding it shoved at the bottom of his bag, he pulled it out and hit the answer button, holding it to his ear.

'What do you want, Ginny?' There was a moment pause as Ron listened to his sister talk.

'Yeah, of course I'm not home. I told you I was going away with my boyfriend for the holidays.' Draco couldn't help but feel slightly smug that Ron called him his "boyfriend"; of course, even though his two eldest brothers and younger sister knew about said "boyfriend" they didn't know it was Draco.

'Wait – what? Ginny, slow down, I barely caught that…' there was a long pause, before Ron stared shocked into the phone. 'What happened?!'

The panic and slight fear that came to his lover's tone put Draco on sudden alert; he slowly glanced over his shoulder to where Ron was standing, still talking with his sister on the phone.

'Y-yeah, of course. I'll be there as soon as I can; at least two days max… yeah, see you then.' Ron pulled the phone away from his ear, hanging it up as he stared blankly at it. Draco sat up straight as he watched him with slight concern; he had this strong feeling that something had happened.

'Ron – is everything all right? What happened?' Ron didn't say anything for a long while, before he finally spoke.

'It … it was about my dad.' The feeling worsened; while on whole anything that had to do with Ron's father was always a serious subject, Draco had been expecting the worst, but he definitely did not expect to hear what the other man said afterwards.

'He … he was in an accident …'

**-- ****Chapter Ten**** --**

* * *

Eh – first of all, don't know how to do "drunk person" speech … or even tipsy speech, honestly … was gonna make mention of the wine, but when I thought about it – I don't drink, I have no knowledge of wine/vineyards/etc … so … I'm cheap … I know …

More to come soon, I hope! Thank you for being patient with me :)


	11. Chapter 11

Picking up the slack a little since I've been putting writing off waay longer than I should be …

So – new chapter time! :D And I swear I'll get chapter three up for 'Why Aren't You?' soon! It's been started, so that's a start! (eh – no pun intended .. )

On to new chapter!

**Warnings:** AU (Alternate Universe); no magic is involved; may contain some minor sexual content as the story progresses.

I, in no way, own Harry Potter or any of the characters I'm about to exploit in this story. All characters, unless said otherwise, belong to J.K Rowling. She's making the money, not me…

* * *

**-- ****Chapter Eleven**** --**

This would be one of the most unbearable rides he had ever taken in his life; the whole train was silent, safe for the sounds of the wheels churning against the steel railings as it speeded along steadily on its course back to London. Draco merely watched his lover with a pained expression; he didn't have any words he could say to him and he hated this helpless feeling of not being able to bring comfort to the other man.

Ron propped his elbow against the window sill, his hand pressed hard against his chin as he stared at the scenery flying by in blur; he had never felt so scared in his life – not even when he had been threatened back at school when rumors of his "admiration" towards Cedric had been spread around.

The second Ron had told Draco what his sister had told him, they had quickly dressed and packed their things immediately; along the way to the train station, Draco briefly explained to Anabel and Jason what was happening. They would discuss how to re-work the return home plan later, and he and Ron caught the first train departing back to London. If there were still things left at the cabin, Draco said they could worry about it later and pick up at a later date – right now, Ron needed to go back to his family.

Draco stared at his lover, cursing himself for being completely helpless and useless to him right now. If he had been told that his own father had been in an accident, Draco would have been celebrating and hoping that the older Malfoy would just die, and he'd never have to deal with him again. However, this was because Draco absolutely loathed his father; it was different for Ron. Even though his parents had turned away from him, and never talked to him since the confession, Ron still loved them; he still remembered the days before telling them his different preferences and perhaps somewhere he knew they still loved him, but that feeling had wavered in the past years.

He finally couldn't stand it; Draco stood up from his seat and sat down next to the taller man, gently reaching his arm around his shoulder.

'Hey – come here.' He urged softly; Ron let the blond pull his head down to rest on the small, somewhat bony shoulder, feeling slender fingers comb through his hair. There was hardly anyone on the train, since the holidays would not be over for another week, but neither seemed to care even if there were other people in their compartment.

'Hey – he's going to be all right, I'm sure. If he's any bit as stubborn as you, I don't think your father's going to go down that easily.' Draco tried to assure; Ron didn't say anything, closing his eyes as he tried to keep his thoughts away from the worse-case scenarios option. The blond gently kissed the crown of the other's head, still petting his hand through thick red brown hair; he wished he had the right words, but there were never any for this kind of situation. The best he could do was be there for his frightened lover, and be ready to lend him his shoulder should the worse happen.

'I just – I don't want to leave this hanging…' Ron finally spoke; Draco looked at him slightly confused, momentarily pausing with his petting. He waited on the other man to continue on and explain, but nothing more came, so Draco encouraged him a little, gently nudging him with his shoulder.

'Leave what hanging, love?'

'…everything … I've never – known how he really felt about – about me being gay. I used to think that perhaps silence was the best reaction I could get from him, but…' His voice began to crack near the end as the tears pushed their way through and streamed down his cheek. Draco carefully sat him up straight, taking the other's face in his hands and tenderly wiped away the tears with his thumb; he offered the auburn hair man a small smile, before reaching up to gently kiss his tears away, leaning his forehead against the other.

'Shhh – it's okay; he's going to be fine. He's your father, and I don't think God would take him without letting you two solve your problems first.' Ron smiled bitterly, reaching a hand to wipe away his remaining tears.

'Didn't think you were much for religion.'

'I'm not, but doesn't mean I can't have _some_ faith.' The former redhead forced out a strained laugh, before gazing at his fair haired lover gazing back at him with a tender smile. Draco gave him a gentle kiss on the mouth, before taking the other man's hands with his, the two sitting in silence as the train shook slightly as it sped along the tracks.

'It's just – it's troubling when you can't tell what your parents think of you. I could never figure out how my dad really felt about me.' Ron confessed after the silence had stretched on for several minutes. He felt Draco's grip tighten a little around his hands.

'I just – wanna know what he thinks about me, even if it is just to tell me he hates me.'

'And if he does tell you that – what are you going to do?' Draco asked tentatively; he knew he was treading on dangerous waters, but he didn't want to think of what Ron might do if he found out his father's opinion of him. He rarely talked about it, especially in recent years, but Ron had always admired his father and just had never been outspoken about it. Draco knew that the senior Weasley's opinion had always mattered to Ron; perhaps that's what made it hard to face him after all these years.

'…well, if he hates me then I guess I'll just continue what I've been doing these past seven years – stay out of their lives.' It was not the worst answer he was expecting, but it wasn't the best either. Draco gently ushered the other man to rest his head on his lap, Ron compiling with little resistance as he felt pale, slender finger rake tenderly through his hair. The blond began humming a soft tune to him, trying to lure his mind to peace even if it was only for a moment. Starling blue eyes fell shut to the feeling of that loving hand threading through his semi tangled locks; he must've fallen asleep shortly after that, because the next time he had opened his eyes, the sun had already set and Draco had ordered them dinner to eat. One day of travel was over – and just one more to go before he'd had to face his parents again and once and for all settle this long standing tiff between them.

**-8-**

Ron stared up at the white washed building anxiously; the pit of his stomach was having a circus, back-flips, jugglers and all. He and Draco arrived in London on the second night, and he immediately called Ginny to let her know he was back in town. She sounded much calmer than the first time they talked and was able to explain the situation better this time.

Their father had been walking home from work late one night, and had about crossed the street when a car skidded out of control on the icy roads, in attempt to stop for the red light. It was later found that the driver had been talking on the phone, and thus had not been paying attention the light change. Ron felt the churning in his stomach worsen – they had already performed two surgeries on his father, and while the first had been the riskiest, the second one didn't give them any more hope that he'd be completely fine.

Ron jumped at the hand placed on his shoulder, spinning around on his heels to face his fair haired lover behind him, staring at him with concern.

'Are you going to be all right, Ron?' Draco asked him, the sincere worry in his voice helped relieved some of the tension in his gut; Ron nodded his head slowly, reaching a hand for the one on his shoulder.

'Y-yeah, I'm fine, I'm just – scared, I guess.' The blond offered him a small smile, squeezing his shoulder tight; he knew it wasn't just the fact that his father might be dying that scared him – facing his mother after all these years was also shaking the auburn hair man. Ron took in several breathes, before finally getting the nerve to track up the white stone stairs of the building; Draco offered to come along with him, but Ron said he wanted to do this on his own. The shorter man nodded his head, saying he would wait by the car once he was done.

Ron carefully pushed open the clear glass doors, eyes glancing around nervously as he saw a few nurses walking back and forth between rooms and floors. There were people waiting in the chairs available, as those with less severe cases waited patiently for the receptionist to call on them. He held his breath for a moment, before walking up to the desk, the woman sitting behind it looking up at him seriously.

'Can I help you, sir?'

'I – my father was brought here two days ago; Arthur Weasley?' The receptionist looked to her computer screen, running a red painted nail along the surface as she scanned the list of names before finding the one given to her. She pointed down the hallway, giving him the room number and which floor the patient was on. Ron quietly thanked her, before heading down the hall to where the elevators were.

He leaned back against the metallic wall of the elevator as he waited for it to reach the fifth floor; he knew his mother would be there, and he tried to think of what he could possible say to her after seven years of silence. The elevator dinged as the doors slide open, and Ron still hadn't a clue as to what to say to his mother when he saw her.

Swallowing his breath, Ron stepped out of the open doors, hearing the elevator slide close behind him with a light thunk, before walking down the hallway to find the room his father was staying in. He didn't walk far, turning around the first corner, before pausing in his tracks. Sure enough, his mother, Molly Weasley, was sitting outside on the chairs stacked up against the wall, her face buried in a simple, white handkerchief as she silent wept. Sitting next to her was her only and youngest daughter, a comforting arm around her shoulder, as Ginny tried to sooth her mother.

Ron thought about walking away, about turning around and coming back at a less stressful time, but he knew he'd never get any rest if Ginny found out he bailed at the last second. Taking in a deep breath, he forced himself to walk forward, his footsteps sounded far too loud to his own ears as he approached his mother and little sister. Ginny turned her attention to him, having heard coming down the hall; she gave him a soft smile, giving their mother a light squeeze.

'Glad you could make it.' Molly jerked her head up coming face to face with her youngest son, Ron glancing at her nervously. She bit down on her lower lip, before turning her head away; Ron flinched inwardly at the response.

'Course I came – he's my dad too.' Ginny held a hand out to him, Ron taking his sister's hand gently jostling her arm as he smiled back at her. The young redhead woman looked to their mother, whispering something the auburn hair man couldn't catch, before pushing herself up from her seat with effort. Ron took Ginny by the arms to help her stand up to her feet – being eight months pregnant hindered even the simplest of tasks for her, and it didn't help to the fact she was having more then one.

'I'll go get some water for you, mum.'

'I'll get it, Ginny. You shouldn't be walking in your condition.' Ron offered, but the young woman only glared at him, waving a hand causally in the air as she pulled away from him and started down the hallway.

'Please, I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. Besides, my doctor said a little walking is good for me – helps keep my back strong.' She retorted, before putting a firm hand on her brother's shoulder, leaning in to whisper to him. 'You and mum need to talk – _now_!'

She emphasized; Ron only hummed as he dropped his gaze to the floor. Ginny gave him a rather painful squeeze, before slowly heading down the hallway to find a water cooler to get some water for their worrying mother.

A silence more awkward then anything else in the world settled between them, the clock on the other side of the wall pierced the air with its loud tick-ticking noise as the second hand jerked forward. Molly held her handkerchief over her mouth as she tried to slow her tears, Ron staring off to the side unsure what he could say that would make this seem less alienated.

After what could have been fifty ticks from the clock, he gave up and sighed, going over to take seat that Ginny had been sitting in earlier, his mother not once moving her head or glancing in his direction. Ron opened his mouth, hoping that the words would just come naturally to him, but nothing but silence rose from his throat, before he closed it, leaning forward on his knees.

'… I … I'm sorry …' For a brief moment, Molly had diverted her eyes to her son sitting next to him, as he spoke in a small, timid voice, before staring back at the wall across from her. Ron folded his hands, leaning his forehead against them as he continued on, not once lifting his gaze up from the floor.

'I'm sorry I didn't – turn out the way you hoped I would … I was expecting you to be surprised, but I didn't – I didn't think you'd be disappointed with me…' Molly bit down on the handkerchief, trying to force the tears that were threatening to start again, but also to keep herself silent. After nearly more then seven years, her son was finally starting to open up to her again, and she did not want to pass this opportunity – not again.

'But this is just how I am … I was, I don't know – I guess I was just born this way … I like guys, I've always liked guys; there just – was never anything appealing about girls to me … even when I was a kid, you know – the whole "puppy love" thing … it just never happened with me – not with a girl, anyways …' He wasn't sure what the point would be in saying all this, but then Ron was not really thinking about his words; he was merely saying what was coming to his mind – what had always been on his mind, even if it was on the subconscious level.

'I'm sorry, mum, but you can't expect me to change who I am; you've always told us it was okay to be ourselves and not let anyone else's opinions matter. I thought – I thought it would've been the same for my c-case…' His voice shook a little at the end, swallowing his breath to stop himself from crying; he didn't cry in front of him mother back then, and he wasn't going to cry now. He waited for a response from the older woman, not daring to face her less he should see the same pain and disappointment she had shown him the first time.

'… I'm the one – who should be apologising…' Ron jerked his head up to face her; he hadn't been expecting those kind of words. Molly didn't dare face her son eye to eye, wringing the fraying kerchief in her hands.

'W-why would you be apologising? I'm the one who's screwed up, I –'

'Oh honey, don't ever think there was anything wrong with you; I'm apologising because – because I should've put your happiness first.' Molly chided, finally turning her gaze to look at him; Ron was surprised the sorrow and longing that was reflecting through the tears shimmering in the corner of hazel brown eyes.

'I was just – so shocked, that you made such a heavy decision like that at such a young age. I should've been there to support you, but all I did was push you away, hoping that you were just being …'

'Stupid?' He inserted for her, when she didn't say anything for several minutes; Molly shook her head, tenderly taking his hand with hers.

'No, dear, not stupid – how could you ever think that of yourself?'

'Well I wonder, I certainly didn't have anyone telling me I _wasn't_ doing anything wrong.' He bit back bitterly, and he wished he hadn't said it; the thinning hair woman ducked her down in shame, chewing down on her lip. Ron clasped his other hand over hers, lowering his head to try and face her eyes with his.

'Mum – I'm sorry, but I – I really needed you back then, and you weren't there to support me.' Molly nodded her head as the tears overflowed her eyes, slowly beginning to trickle down her cheek.

'I know; you've been through a lot of pain.' Ron lowered his head, fading brown bangs falling over his eyes as the dull aching pain from his teen years throbbed in his chest.

'What would you know …' He whispered under his breath, hoping it was more to himself than outloud, but somehow his mother caught every word, tightening her hold on his hands, shaking them a little.

'I know, Ron – every time I've walked past your room, I heard you crying in there about … about those guys that hurt you.' He wanted to believe her – he really wanted to believe that she had known, that she would've stormed right into his room back then and swooped him up in her arms and rocked him to sleep as she soothed the pain away. But she never did; she never barged in unannounced and stubbornly refusing to leave until he felt better. She never offered him her shoulder, or dragged him into the kitchen where she'd sit him down and make him talk about the pain while she baked cookies. No – she was never there for him, and to Ron, that had been the roughest point of his life.

'If you really knew, then why didn't you do anything?' He asked dryly; he felt his mother's grip tighten even more, before she finally pulled her hands away from his, wiping away her tears as she looked away from him.

'I should've done something – heavens knows how many times I wanted to just run in there and hug you till the pain went away, but … my heart, somehow, was being over run by my logic. I'm sorry, Ron; I haven't been the best mother in the world to you and – I can understand if you don't want to see me again.'

'I'm here, aren't I? If I didn't want to see you – or dad – I wouldn't have rushed back from my vacation like this.' Molly looked up at him with a sad smile on her face, seeing her son giving her a gentle smile back; she strained a laugh through her broken tears as she threw her around his neck, holding her second youngest close to her. Ron embraced his mother back, burying his face against her shoulder as a small tear escaped him.

'I've missed you so much, Ron.'

'So have I, mum.' Molly pulled back from their hug, holding his face in her hands as she smiled through her tears. She ran a tender hand through his hair, commenting on how handsome of man he had grown into, and nagging him slightly on the now fading brown he had dyed his hair to. Ron couldn't tell her honestly that he was trying to hide from them, but promised his mum he'd let it grow out back to its original flaming red; he had no reason to hide it anymore.

Ginny came back with a paper cup filled with luke warm water, smiling gently at the scene as her mother and brother talked and tried to catch up on his life she had missed out for seven years. The young woman cleared her throat to get their attention, handing the cup to their mother; Molly thanked her daughter, before nagging her to sit down before she wore herself out. Ginny rolled her eyes, but moved to sit down on the chair next to her mother nonetheless, Molly nodding her head in approval; Ron shook his head, silently laughing himself less he wanted both women glaring at him.

**-8-**

Draco stared up at the clear, sparkling blue sky as he leaned back against the side of the car; the clouds were passing lazily over the sun, occasionally blocking the bright rays for a moment. It had been nearly over an hour since Ron entered into the hospital to see if his father's condition was stable or not, and he was slightly worried about having the other man facing his mother after having not spoken a word to his family for years.

The blond knew he should have more faith in his lover and that things would finally be resolved after all this time, but he still couldn't stop from worrying; Ron had told him countless times that he believed his parents (or at least his mother) still loved him for what he was.

He brought his gaze away from the sky, before glancing over to the doors of the hospital; after several minutes more he noticed three figures exit from behind those glass doors, not mistaking that brilliant red hair of the two women walking next to Ron. Draco smiled when he saw Ron give his mother a hug, the elder Weasley matron holding his hands when they pulled apart; he could see Ron laugh and nodded his head. No doubt she was nagging him to come visit whenever he wanted to. His sister reached up to give him a kiss on the cheek, before bidding him goodbye, her mother taking her by the arm and lead her to the car to take her daughter home.

Once his mother and sister had walked away, Ron began searching across the small parking lot till he saw Draco waving his arm at him, heading over to where the blond was waiting. The shorter man held his arms out to him, Ron frowning at him suspiciously before shaking his head.

'Rather bold move for you, love.' Draco only shrugged as he grinned up at his freckled faced lover, turning around to unlock the car doors for them.

'I figured you'd be happy, so I thought I could get a hug from you.' He chuckled, holding the door open for the other man; Ron whacked him lightly on the shoulder before stepping into the vehicle, Draco closing the door shut after him before moving to the driver's side.

'So, are things cleared between you and your mother at least?' He asked carefully, sticking the key into the ignition; Ron stared out the window for a moment, before a soft smile came to his features, averting his light blue eyes to the man next to him.

'Yeah, I think – everything is going to be all right; at least with my mum.' Draco studied him carefully, before turning the key and started up the engine; he drove out of the parking lot slowly before heading on to the main road.

'How – how's your father doing?' Ron didn't say anything, staring blankly at the dash board; Draco only briefly glanced at him from the corner of his eyes, before reverting his attention back to the road.

'They – the doctor said it wasn't as serious as they first thought, but he – he's still in serious condition. If – if he doesn't wake up within the week…' He trailed off from his sentence; Draco risked taking one hand off the wheel, gently petting the other man on the thigh. Ron turned his gaze to him, before a small smile came to his face, taking hold of the hand on his thigh.

'I'll be fine, love.'

'I know, but just know – I'm right here for you should – should the worst happen.' Ron nodded his head, before letting go of the blond's hand to allow to put it back on the wheel. Draco continued raining comforting words to him throughout the whole ride back the former redhead's apartment; Ron reached a hand to caress his lover's face, before leaning in to give him a light kiss on the mouth.

'Thanks Draco, I really appreciate everything you've said so far.' A soft smile came to pale, delicate features, long slender fingers taking hold of the strong at his cheek.

'It's the least I can do, Ron. I'm sure your father will pull through.'

'Thank you. Hey – what are you going to do now?' Draco opened his mouth as though he had the answer, but his mind suddenly blanked when he realised that he hadn't a clue what to do now. Anabel and Jason would not return home for another week and half, at which Draco would pick her up and take her home to make it seem as though they had spend the entire three weeks miserably together. He couldn't call Chanya back, or he'd give himself away; a new worry began to surface in the blond's mind as he wondered just what he was going to do with himself for next week and half.

Ron seemed to be reading his mind, reaching a hand out for his shoulder getting the shorter man to look at him slightly startled.

'If you want, you can stay at my place until Anabel and Jason come back.' Pale grey eyes looked at him in slight surprise, before giving him a teasing glance, patting his lover on the knee.

'You sure you're okay with this, Ron? I mean, what about the spectators? What if your neighbors think I'm your lover or something?' Ron laughed at the tease, before batting the hand on his knee away and moved to open the car door.

'I think having a "friend" staying over temporarily won't be such a big commotion.' Draco grinned at him, before moving to open his own door and step out of the car; he locked the doors tight before following after the other man up to his apartment. Ever since the day after the carnival, Draco had been over to the other's place four more times after that – uninvited of course, since Ron was too anxious to invite him himself. Although he had been nagged and scolded all four times for doing that, it didn't discourage him any less and if the former redhead really didn't want him in his home, he didn't make much effort to kick him out.

Ron opened the door to his flat, letting them into the small homely place; they didn't really have much time the night they arrived home to go to the hospital, so Draco stayed the night with Ron to be sure he would be all right. He was thankful now he hadn't gone to his flat to drop off his luggage.

As he closed the door behind him, Draco noticed that there was something missing from the side table next to the door. It took him several minutes before he remembered what use to be there.

'Say – what happened to that rather _dashing_ vase you had there?' He asked curiously, pointing to the now empty spot on the table; Ron blinked questioningly at him before looking at where the blond was pointing. The taller man grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.

'Ah, that – interesting thing; I managed to get rid of it, finally.'

'Oh? So you tossed it out?'

'Not exactly – someone just moved into the flat next door to mine. She came by to ask me a few questions and saw it; asked her if she wanted it and she said yes, so…' Draco snickered softly to himself, before walking towards his lover, reaching his arms up around the other's neck. Ron reached his own arms around the slender waist, before leaning in to capture pale pout worthy lips in a romantic kiss.

'Thank god someone has that kind of taste; your boss must be some kind of nut to give you something that awful.' Draco commented once they pulled away from the kiss; Ron snorted as he gently nipped at the exposed flesh of the other man's neck.

'She's – rather eccentric, this woman. Name's Luna Lovegood; pretty interesting character, actually.'

'Lovegood – sounds like a hippie.' Ron stopped momentarily to lightly whack the fair haired man on the head, earning a small pout from that pointed face.

'She's not a hippie, just – different.' He defended, pulling back slightly from the smaller frame pressing up against him; Draco only rolled his eyes, tightening his hold around the other's neck as he reached to re-capture his mouth in another kiss.

'Mm-hm, sure love. Introduce me to her sometime, and I'll be the judge of that.' Ron only shook his head, before accepting the kiss eagerly as he let his hands travel down the small back. Draco moaned softly against his mouth, letting one hand thread through red brown locks the other fisting the other man's shirt. He felt Ron push him back towards the small couch behind them, gently knocking his knees so he'd fall back against the sunken cushions. Then without breaking the kiss, the taller man managed to get him on his back, carefully nudging one knee in between his legs.

'Oy, oy – aren't we forgetting something? I still have three days left of being on top.' Draco reminded the man nipping at his neck, biting down on his lip to keep from groaning as Ron found his sensitive spot. The former redhead only grinned, before tenderly kissing long his chin.

'Not while we're here, love. Besides – you cheated, so I say its fair game for now on.' Draco was about to open his mouth to protest, but it came out as a low, stifled moan as Ron purposely shifted his knee, creating friction between him and the growing heat in the blond's lower region. Draco muttered a small curse under his breath.

'Shit Ron … hate it when you do that!'

'Funny – this part of you is not complaining.' Ron teased, shifting his knee again, feeling the smaller man shudder at the slight friction. While his shy, some clumsy appearance made it seem like this kind of situation would be awkward to him, Draco had long learned that once the other man was put in the right mood, he could be an absolute torturer in the field of foreplay.

'Fuck! And you say I'm impossible.'

'I love you too, Draco.'

**-- ****Chapter Eleven**** --**

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Keh – Ron's a little tease behind closed doors … Yay, he made up with his mum so far (hurray)! More to come soon – thank you for reading (and a review never hurts - major ego feed for the writer, and a writer with a stroked ego they keep writing, which means faster updates…)

… Just kidding XD I write regardless of reviews/useful criticism, but it's nice to have once in a while.


	12. Chapter 12

Something cute, something random this time XD Why is it my writing occurs late in the evenings … never during the day Dx Oh well…

**Warnings:** AU (Alternate Universe); no magic is involved; may contain some minor sexual content as the story progresses.

I, in no way, own Harry Potter or any of the characters I'm about to exploit in this story. All characters, unless said otherwise, belong to J.K Rowling. She's making the money, not me…

* * *

**-- ****Chapter Twelve**** --**

Draco tried to wriggle his hands free, failing miserably at suppressing his laughter as he tried to twist his torso with little success. Ron couldn't help but grin teasingly at the blond pinned underneath him on the couch, a strong hand firmly clasping thin, slender wrists over his fair-haired lover's head.

'Ah-ha! Come o-on-ha! Stop!' Draco managed out in between his laughs, but Ron didn't stop with his free hand tickling the blond on his side. The shorter man bucked his hips in hopes of unbalancing the former redhead to release even just one of his hands, but Ron had him firmly trapped at his mercy.

'Oh come onnn-ha! Ron!' But he didn't stop, chuckling a little at how easily he could render his lover helpless with such a simple thing as tickling. Finally, Draco managed to free one of his hands, swiftly grabbing the intruding hand at his side and forced Ron to stop tickling him. He took in several deep breathes, trying to stop what little laughter was left before he let out a huge sigh, slumping his head back against the arm of the couch. Ron released the blond's other hand, resting his chin in his palm as he gazed at the other man cockily; Draco didn't even bother to glare at the auburn hair man, feeling he didn't have the energy to even give a proper glare.

'I really hate you right now, love.' The other man only laughed, shaking his head before resting his chin against the other's chest, gazing at him tenderly. Since when did it feel so natural being with the man like this; he thought after inviting Draco to stay with him till Anabel and Jason returned would be awkward and unnerving, but Ron hadn't felt any of those even since the first day they arrived home early. He wondered if having spent that short week and half at the cabin together made him feel more at ease about having the blond by his side like this.

Draco reluctantly raised his head up to glare slightly at the man resting on his chest; Ron gave him his best child-like pout, batting his eyelashes innocently at him as starlight blue eyes gazed into pale grey ones. A soft sigh escaped pale rose lips, Draco slumping his head back in defeat.

'God – hate it when you look at me like that; I just can't stay mad at you.' Ron chuckled, pushing himself up as he inched closer to the other's face.

'That's the whole point, love. If you were mad at me, I wouldn't be able to do this.' Draco barely managed to say a word when the former redhead kissed him tenderly on the lips. Draco froze for a moment before letting his eyes fall shut, reaching to wrap his arms around the other's waist. He had been pleasantly surprised at how affectionate Ron's been lately despite having come back to the world of their troubles; he had thought that this kind of openness (even in the comfort of his own home) would have been left behind in the cabin, far from society, far from both their families, and had mentally and physically prepared himself to expect any and all little rejections the auburn hair man would give him.

Ron reached his tongue out to run across his bottom lip, Draco letting his jaw drop as he accepted the other into his mouth, eagerly reaching his own tongue out to meet Ron's. The shrieking sound of the phone caused them both to jump, pulling apart from the kiss as the sudden noise startled them both. Ron glared over his shoulder at the offensive electronic, Draco growling under his breath as he let his arms slide off the other's back.

'It never fails.' Ron muttered, sitting back on his heels as he leaned back to reach for the phone sitting on the small end table behind him. Draco grabbed hold on his wrist, trying to pull him back down on top of him.

'Ignore it – I was just starting to get comfortable.'

'It could be important; I don't get very many calls you know.' Draco growled, but let the other's wrist go nonetheless; Ron twisted his torso to get a better glance at the caller ID, hesitantly picking up the receiver.

'It's my mum.' Draco propped himself up on his elbows, gazing at his lover expectantly as he pressed the answer key.

'Hey mum. Is everything all right?' There was a bit of silence as Ron listened to his mother talk, his eyes going slightly wide in small surprise.

'Wait? Really? That's great! What? … Oh, no – it's fine; I'll wait till later … yeah, love you too, mum. Bye.' Ron hung up the phone, staring at it for the longest while before he finally placed the receiver back on the base. Draco couldn't help but smile at the grin that spread across the freckled face, but his curiosity was gnawing at him to find the exact cause of it.

'So – what did she say?' Ron turned to face him, grinning even wider as he reached his arms around the blond, leaning his forehead against his.

'My dad – he woke up!'

'Ron, that's great!' Small tears began to form in the corner of light blue eyes, Draco reaching his hands to gently caress the other's cheeks as he tenderly wiped at his eyes with his thumbs.

'I'm sorry – I'm just so relieved, I thought –' Draco quietly shushed him, kissing him lovingly on the forehead; Ron took a few minutes to settle his tears, resting his head against the smaller man's chest as an elegant, slender hand petted his hair.

'See, I told you he'd be fine. He's your dad after all.' Ron hummed, as he listened to the steady heartbeat of his lover.

'He was a bit disorientated, but they said that was normal. They're still keeping him under minor isolation, but they're allowing mum to see him.' Draco smiled softly as he curled thick, red-brown locks with his finger, feeling the other man shift a little so that he was facing him eye to eye. Ice grey collided with cool blue as they gazed at each other tenderly; Ron pushed himself forward to recapture the smaller man's lips with his, feeling Draco tug at the hem of the light brown, cotton shirt he was wearing. He pulled back from the kiss only for a moment to allow the blond to pull the shirt off over his head and tossed it carelessly to the floor, before reaching slender, frail arms around the other's neck. Steady, less agile fingers fiddle with the buttons of the white, causal button-up shirt Draco was wearing, pulling it open as the former redhead's hand wander against his bare chest. The blond's breath hitched as Ron gently grasped his nipple with his fingers, tenderly fondling with it as Draco arched his back.

'… Ron …'

'Ron, are you home now? Thought I return the keys you lent … oh!' Both men jumped apart as they stared at the young woman standing in the doorway, a slightly surprised expression on her face. She had waist-long, dirty blond hair and had a faint complexion that made her seem almost unearthly; her eyes were a grey even paler then Draco's, giving her an almost mystical or dreamy sort of expression. She was wearing dark colored pants against an almost blinding bright blue-baby collared shirt, wearing on her feet what appeared to be nothing more then creamy-white bedroom slippers.

An odd sort of silence fell between them, the woman simply staring at them as she placed her fingers lightly to her chin, tilting her head a little.

'Oh dear, are you busy? So sorry, I should've called first. I'll just leave the keys right here then.' Her voice was surprisingly calm and causal, her face not showing even a hint of embarrassment of walking in on two men entangled with each other, practically half naked on the sofa. She placed the spare set of keys on the side table near the door, before turning around to head out on her way.

'Well, I'll leave you two alone; perhaps maybe later we could have tea.' She had barely made it out the door, when Draco finally spoke up, pushing himself up a little from the couch.

'W-wait one moment! Who the hell are you? And,' he turned his glance to Ron, giving the auburn hair man a slight glare. 'And why does she have the keys to _your_ flat?'

Ron sighed as he scratched the back of his head, glancing between his glaring lover and the blond woman, who was staring at them curiously.

'I had asked if she could apartment-sit for me while we were on vacation. Just the simple stuff like keeping the plants and all, you know.'

'And you trust this woman, because…?' The slight suspicious tone in the blond's voice made him shake his head, another sigh escaping him as he sat back against his heels, holding a hand out towards the woman standing in his doorway.

'Draco – this is my next door neighbor, Luna Lovegood. Luna – my boyfriend, Draco Malfoy.' Luna made a small noise in acknowledgement, her eyes going slightly wide making her dazed and dreamy look on her face even stranger.

'Oh! So you're the one Ron's told me about. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Draco. He talks about you a lot.'

'Oh he does, really?' Draco asked teasingly, chuckling slightly at the dark pink tint that suddenly spread across his lover's nose. Luna nodded her head as she tapped a finger lightly against her chin, tilting her head to the side.

'Oh yes, quite a bit. I didn't think I'd believe him when he told me it was you, with the rumors of your engagement and all. Oh dear – I do hope that doesn't work out, Draco. It would seem a shame to break you and Ron up.' The woman began rambling; Draco blinked in slight puzzlement as Luna continued talking. Judging from the way she was glancing to the side, it was becoming obvious she was talking more to herself then to them. Draco glanced at Ron suspiciously, the former redhead only laughing softly as he shook his head in amusement; Luna made a small noise of realisation, as if she had just remembered that the two men were in the middle of something rather private.

'Oh, excuse me, I can see that you're busy. I shall be on my way – perhaps we can talk some other time.'

'See you later, Luna – and thanks for watching the flat for me.' The woman only smiled, waving a hand dreamily over her shoulder before walking out of the flat, closing the door shut behind her as she left. Ron let out a small snicker, muttering under his breath at her aloofness; he had met quite a lot of different kinds of people thanks to his job, but he had never met anyone quite as amusing at this woman.

'… okay, she's not a hippie – she's a total mental case.' Draco expressed, having finally found his voice again that he had somehow lost during the blond woman's ramblings. Ron frowned at him, giving him a nagging glance.

'Now Draco…'

'I'm serious! No one in their right mind would be _that_ calm after walking in on two men about to have a go at it!'

'I told you she was eccentric.' Ron defended, scolding the blond lightly as he laid back against his elbows, staring up at the ceiling.

'Say whatever you want, love. Let me know when the men with the happy white coats come to take her off to rainbows and sunshine.' Ron shook his head as he leaned his elbow on the back of the couch, resting the side of his head on his palm as he gazed down at his fair haired lover.

'You really need to meet more variety of people; you're turning out to be a rather dull person, Draco.' Draco sat up in an instantly, staring at the taller man pretending to be aghast as he held a hand over his heart.

'Oh – now that hurt, love. Me? Dull? I think you just pierced my heart with that one.' He teased, making the fake motions of arrow going through his chest with hand. Ron only laughed, pulling his head away from his hand as he leaned in closer to the lithe frame sitting inches in front of him.

'If you're done being melodrama queen, shut up and let me make love to you.' Draco grinned slyly at him, reaching his arms around the other man's neck.

'You'll have to make me shut up then, since I'm still not over the fact I had three days left of being on top, the tickle fest torture you did just now, and calling me "dull".' Ron only grinned back at him, before swooping in to mes their mouths together, not hesitating to slip his tongue in the first chance he got; Draco groaned softly against his mouth, tangling his fingers in thick fading brown locks. He prayed that there'd be no more interruptions for the next several hours, or he'd swear he'd unplug the phone and isolate them both in the bedroom till the next day.

**-- ****Chapter Twelve**** --**

* * *

Hee – Ron likes to torture Draco a lot, it seems; though I suppose Draco eventually gets his revenge (just hasn't been shown really XD).

More to come – and maybe I'll have a chapter up for "Why Aren't You?" soon-laterish


	13. Chapter 13

Eh – I should get back to writing more … and I must confess – I've been trying to find ways to drag this out a _little_ bit longer to at least break the 20chapter mark, but … there's a good chance that might not happen, since there's only so much random, pointless, but awe-inducing muddle one can put in a story …

Anyways – some new things come to light – weird as they may seem, and probably unusually, but all goes … well, no – not really Dx

**Warnings:** AU (Alternate Universe); no magic is involved; may contain some minor sexual content as the story progresses.

I, in no way, own Harry Potter or any of the characters I'm about to exploit in this story. All characters, unless said otherwise, belong to J.K Rowling. She's making the money, not me…

* * *

**-- ****Chapter Thirteen**** --**

Ron stared up at the white building apprehensively; it's been nearly a week and half since his father had woken up, and the doctors had recently taken him out of isolation. He rubbed the side of his arm, feeling Draco's hand on his shoulder giving him a light squeeze.

'You sure you're up to this, Ron?'

'No – but if I don't talk to him now, then I might never.' He answered, turning nervous eyes towards the blond standing next to him. The hold on his shoulder squeezed tighter, before giving him a light, encouraging pat.

'I'll wait by the car for you,' Draco told him; Ron nodded his head, quickly glancing around before reaching to give him a light peck on the cheek. Draco held a hand to his face, looking at the redhead slightly surprised, before a soft smile came to his face.

'Rather bold of you, love.' Ron only smiled back at him, before turning around to head in through the glass doors of the hospital. He checked in briefly with the receptionist, the woman behind the counter telling him the new room they had moved his father to; he thanked her quietly before heading on his way to the elevator. The entire ride up his stomach was churning, tapping his fingers rapidly against the metal walls of the elevator. What was he going to say to his father? The same things he told his mother? No, it couldn't be that simple, or he'd done it years ago.

The doors opened with a ding, Ron standing inside staring at the hallway it lead to for several minutes before he finally moved his feet and walked out. As he walked down the white washed hall, his mind was whirling with the worst situation imaginable; what if his father still didn't speak to him? What if he did final talk? He imagined it would be spiteful, hateful words. Ron pressed a fist against his mouth, trying to calm his inner thoughts down as he stood outside the door leading to the room where the senior Weasley was being kept. He closed his eyes, forcing back the tears that were threatening to come before he took in a deep breath and place his hand on the door knob.

_All or nothing …_ He pushed down on the handle quietly, easing the door open as he peeked around it into the room. The steady beeping sounds of the monitor greeted his ears, giving him a slight sense of relief as he entered in, spying his mother sitting on a stool near the bed. She was holding his hand with hers, a grateful and loving smile on her face as she stared eye to eye with her husband, who was awake, and quietly comforting her that he was feeling fine.

Ron swallowed his breath; he was almost afraid of breaking this peace between his parents. He stepped forward cautiously, coming up behind his mother; his father's smile dropped immediately upon seeing him, Molly looking at him curiously before turning her head to face her youngest son standing behind her.

'Ron! This is – rather unexpected.' Molly exclaimed lightly, her voice filled with surprised as she smiled up at young former redhead. Ron held his arm nervously, giving her a timid smile.

'H-hey mum. I thought I'd come see how dad was doing.' He replied tentatively; Molly turned her gaze to her husband, an apprehensive expression coming to her face at the blank expression on Arthur's face. Ron offered him a nervous smile, grimacing as the senior Weasley turned his gaze away to the side. Molly glanced at her son sympathetically, giving her husband a stern look before she leaned in to whisper something in his ear that Ron couldn't catch.

'Excuse me a minute – I need to use the ladies room. Can you keep your father company, Ron?' The Weasley matron asked, as she stood up carefully from her seat; Ron nodded his head.

'Sure mum.' Molly placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, giving him an encouraging smile.

'Good luck, dear.' She whispered to him; Ron only hummed and briefly nodded his head. She gave him one last pat before heading towards the door, leaving the two men alone as the door clicked shut behind her. The constant, steady beeping of the monitor was the only sound that broke the heavy silence that settled in the room, Ron gazing at his father apprehensively. He opened his mouth hoping something would come out, but not even a strangled noise emitted from his throat. The redhead sighed before assuming a seat on the stool his mother had been sitting on earlier, folding his hands across his lap as he stared at his father. Arthur hadn't once looked at him.

'I … I'm glad y-you're all right, dad…' He finally managed out; Ron ducked his head down, mentally cursing himself – did he really have nothing better then that to say to his own father?

'When Ginny told me what happened, I – I got really scared that …' He choked on his own words; Ron took a minute to swallow back his tears that were threatening to spill, before speaking again.

'Look, I can understand if you don't want to-to talk to me, but can you – at least listen to what I have to say?' Ron asked, as he carefully tilted his head back up to glance at the older man facing away from him. Knowing that he'd never get an answer from him, Ron took in a deep breath before continuing on.

'I – I'm sorry; I know it doesn't mean much or does any good, but this – this is the way I am. I know you probably are disgusted by it, and that you probably hate me, but – I like men, and nothing is going to change that.' He explained calmly; why did the same words seem so much harder to tell his father then it did to his mother? He didn't feel edgy or ill with each word coming out of his mouth when he talked to his mother; so why did it feel like this with his father?

'Maybe this is a bit much, but – can you at least tell me how you feel about me? Even if it's just to say you hate me, just – please. I need to know – I want to know before … before it becomes too late.' He forced out, not daring to face the elder Weasley as he leaned his forehead against his hands, staring at the white-washed tiled floor. The silence stretched on for several minutes; only on the small occasions did they hear someone walking by the room that disrupted the beeping sounds of the monitor stationed near the bed. Ron sighed as he closed his eyes against his tears; he had no assurance of this, but this silence was beginning to mean to him that possibly Arthur wouldn't acknowledge him as his son. A hand quickly wiped away a stray tear slowly trickling from starlight blue eyes, Ron moving to stand up from the stool and head towards the door.

'… When you're young, you tend to do a lot of stupid things …' Ron froze at the words, as he jerked his head up to face his father; Arthur still hadn't turned his gaze to face him, staring blankly at the wall aside of him. An aching twist struck at Ron's heart, reaching a hand to fiddle with the pendent Draco had gotten him for Christmas.

'But it wasn't something I randomly decided to try – I've been talked to about this, I've thought about this – it wasn't just a stupid thin –'

'I wasn't referring to you, son…' Arthur interrupted; Ron looked at his father with slightly wide eyes, a sudden confusion slowly taking over the pain and bitterness playing with his heart.

'Wh-what do you mean? It's not like you've been caught chasing after other boys, and being told you're gay.' Arthur didn't say anything, still staring at the wall across from him. Ron only blinked at his father for several minutes, his fingers curling around the pendent as this sudden silence was beginning to fill his mind with the most estranged and unbelievable thoughts.

'You haven't …?'

'It's not like I wanted it; I wasn't any older then you when you told us – no one is born wise, Ron …'

'Just … what happened to you, dad? Does mum even know?' Ron asked carefully; if his father was implying what he was thinking, he would be treading in very serious waters. Arthur shook his head slowly, biting down on his lower lip.

'No, I never told anyone … not even your mother.'

'So … why didn't you do anything about it?'

'He was older then me, I couldn't – by the time I even understood what he was doing to me, I couldn't stop him.' Ron ran a hand through his hair in slight aggravation, not because his father hadn't done anything, but at that fact someone had done that to him. Light blue eyes gazed at him sympathetically, a hand reaching out hesitantly for his arm, but decided against it and drew it back.

'You couldn't tell anyone?'

'Moved away before I could gather the nerve; I decided to deal with it on my own, but I guess – that wasn't really a good option.'

'No, no it never is. Perhaps it was good that you met mum, even if you didn't tell her.' A small smile flashed across the older man's face, a tender sigh escaping him as he turned his gaze up towards the ceiling.

'It was impossible _not_ to love your mother; her instincts were always spot on, and perhaps maybe she sensed it, but just wasn't absolutely sure about it.'

'So – what was with the silent treatment you gave me for the past eleven years?' Ron asked steadily; if it wasn't hatred or disgust that kept his father from talking to him, or even acknowledging him, the burning curiosity to know exactly why was gnawing at him to know what did. Arthur closed his eyes for a moment, before he finally turned his gaze to glance at his son; Ron was surprised by the slight guilt he saw reflecting in his eyes.

'I guess I didn't want to deal with it; a lot of things went through my mind when you told us that night, Ron.' He began; Ron sat quietly as he let the elder Weasley continue on talking.

'What if you got into the same thing? What would your peers at school think of you? What if you got abused, or taken advantage of? If you would be threatened… I guess I just couldn't think calmly about the answers.' Ron smiled gently at him, reaching a hand out without hesitation for his father's; Arthur looked at him startled by the smile shining on his son's face.

'I'm still here – yeah, I've been through some pretty rough relationships – and I have been threatened a few times, but nothing ever happened, but I'm still here. I'm happy with the way I am, dad; even better now that I know how you feel about me.' Arthur grabbed his hand with his, giving it a tight squeeze as he smiled up at his son.

'I'm sorry for treating you like that, son. It was stupid of me to let my anxieties get the better of me, and not make a clearer decision.' Arthur apologised; Ron only shook his head, quietly hushing his father as he withdrew his hand, playing with the pendent around his neck affectionately. Arthur eyed the behavior rather curiously, before a playful grin came to his face.

'That's an interesting pendent you have there, Ron.' The younger redhead looked slightly startled, before a soft, loving smile came to his face, staring down at the silver shaped heart in his hand.

'Yeah, it's pretty special to me now.'

'So I take it you have a boyfriend right now?' Ron blushed slightly as he looked up at his father with a slightly embarrassed expression on his face; Arthur laughed a little before wincing at the slight pain it caused in his chest before stopping. Ron reached a hand to rub the back of his neck, focusing his glance to the side.

'Y-yeah, I do. We've been together for a long while now.'

'Is that so? For how long now?' Arthur asked curiously; Ron couldn't help but feel his heart soar at how well his father was taking this. Perhaps the years apart had given him time to reflect on things, and that perhaps the recent accident had made him realise the things left unattended between him and his son.

'Very long – several years now, actually.'

'Sounds like you're serious about him.'

'Yeah, I am.' Ron answered softly, once again gazing at the pendent of what he now saw two people holding each close in their arms. He closed his fingers over the silver piece, bringing it to his lips as he blew a gentle kiss on it; his distant and foggy thoughts of the future had suddenly become clear – he knew where he wanted his life to go now.

'Will we ever get to meet him? Your boyfriend, that is?' Both men jumped slightly at Molly's voice as she re-entered the room. The glowing smile on her face showed her unrivaled joy that her husband and son had finally talked and solved the long standing problems between them. Ron stood up from the stool to allow his mother to sit back down, but Molly insisted she preferred to stand, nudging his shoulder lightly.

'So – do we get to meet your "Mr. Perfect"?' She teased lightly; Ron blushed deeper, gently batting away his mother's nagging hand as he answered her.

'I-I'll have to ask and see if he's all right with it.' Molly nodded her head, resting her hands on his shoulders, before giving him a motherly kiss on the side of the head. Ron softly chided her, complaining that he wasn't a child anymore, but it didn't stop the smile spreading wide across his face. Arthur nagged his wife lightly that Ron wasn't their "little boy" anymore, but Molly only shrugged, reaching her arms to embrace her youngest son, resting her head against him. Ron let her, wiping away at the small tears that began sliding down his cheek.

**-8-**

Draco leaned back against the side of the vehicle, staring blankly up at the graying sky as semi dark clouds began to pass over the sun. It had been nearly over a half hour since Ron went in to see his father, and he hoped that the two would finally be able to resolve their problems and that everything would turn out all right for the redhead. The blond sighed, threading his fingers through his hair apprehensively; the threat of rain was far from his mind as he silently wondered how the situation was going. He was about to start pacing to relieve some of the anxiousness and boredom that was creeping up on him when he noticed Ron walk out of the doors of the hospital.

A smile graced Draco's lips at the glowing aura radiating from the man as he stepped out of the building and headed towards him. Draco didn't need to ask how it went; he could tell just from the brilliant smile on the other man's face that everything between his parents would be looking much better.

'Feeling all right now, love?' Draco asked, reaching a hand into his pocket for the car keys; Ron nodded his head.

'Definitely all right. It's going to be a bit awkward since it's been so long since I've talked to my parents, but it's nice to know I can go back to them when needed.' Draco hummed, before turning around to open the doors for them; he was about to open the door for Ron, but nearly jumped out of his skin when a pair of strong arms took hold around his shoulders. The blond glanced back at the auburn hair man behind him, slightly surprised by the gesture as Ron sighed contently against his shoulder.

'… Hey – you all right?'

'I'm fine, love – I'm just really happy right now.' Draco only blinked a moment, before a tender smile came to his pointed features, reaching a hand out to brush aside strands of red brown hair from the other's face.

'You must be – hugging me out in public like this; not afraid we're going to get caught?' He teased, almost falling over from shock as Ron squeezed him tighter, planting a loving kiss on his cheek.

'It's fine – hardly anyone is around, so it's all right.' Draco could only stare in amazement at how lax his lover was being right now; either he was extremely happy, or he finally gone and lost his mind due to the over exposure of joy for the day. Ron finally pulled back from the embrace, reaching out around the blond to open the door himself and let himself in. Draco stood there for a moment before he sighed softly, a smile coming to his face.

'You're really acting weird today, Ron.' He whispered to himself, but he couldn't help feel that it wasn't bad in a way. It was rare to see the other man so affectionate as he had been lately, and Draco couldn't help but wonder if this recent mood was a result of being on speaking terms with his parents again. The blond brushed the thought aside light; he shouldn't complain about Ron's recent open affections. He had been trying for years to open up the other man to him, and he wasn't going to let this kind of opportunity pass him by and not indulge in every second of it.

Draco climbed in on the driver's side, sticking the key into the ignition as he started up the car. He caught from the corner of his eye the warm smile that was set on the other man's face, turning his gaze to return it, before taking the car out of park and drove them out of the parking lot and back towards Ron's flat.

**-- ****Chapter Thirteen**** --**

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Yay! Ron's made up with both parents now – and this is my first long chapter in a long while … Probably have a lot of mistakes in this, and I apologise … it's crawling towards 1 in the morning, and I'm too tired to re-read this and beta it myself. I shall fix the errors I find tomorrow when I read over this again.

Thank you for reading and I shall hopefully have more coming soon! :D


	14. Chapter 14

Yay

Yay! New chapter! And I swear I'll be faster this time! Yes… maybe … Gah – things are getting lazy on my end… and I swear I'll get over my frickin' embarrassment of writing XXX for "Why Aren't You?" so we can get that story moving!

Anyways…

**Warnings:** AU (Alternate Universe); no magic is involved; may contain some minor sexual content as the story progresses.

I, in no way, own Harry Potter or any of the characters I'm about to exploit in this story. All characters, unless said otherwise, belong to J.K Rowling. She's making the money, not me…

* * *

**-- ****Chapter Fourteen**** --**

Ron gently tapped on the surface of the wooden door, carefully pushing it open as he peeked his head around it; Molly turned her head to smile at him, Arthur managed a small wave as their son entered into the room.

'Hey – how are you feeling dad?' Ron asked as he shut the door slowly behind him, walking up to the bedside where his father was laying, sitting up right against the pillows. Arthur tried to flex his arm to show his youngest son that he was feeling better, but wince as the action agitated the stitched up wound on his chest. Molly glanced at her husband with a sigh, shaking her head as she rolled her eyes. Ron only laughed a little, shaking his head with his mother, before leaning carefully against the edge of the bed as he talked with his parents. They only had a few moments to themselves when the sounds of the door opening again caught their attention, a rather young looking doctor walking in carrying a note board in his hands.

Molly shifted in her seat a little, folding her hands across her lap as they waited for what the doctor had to say; Ron glanced at his mother sympathetically – he knew the bill for this was not going to be cheap, and this had been the biggest worry for his parents.

'Well Mr Weasley, I'm pleased to say that your recovery has come along quite smoothly; you should be able to return home in about another two weeks or so.' Arthur made a small noise, a stiff smile coming to his face that made Ron snicker inwardly; he knew his father was itching to get out of the hospital as soon as possible. He distinctly remembered hearing the senior Weasley say on one of his visits that he couldn't wait to get back to his wife's (Molly's) delicious home cooking.

The doctor flipped through the papers attached to the note board, going over the minor details of the surgeries they had performed a month and half earlier, explaining what activities to avoid for the next few months and the types of medication or pain relievers they would be giving the older man to ease the pain of his injuries.

'…And then there's the matter of the bill.'

'I don't know if policy allows it, but – if-if we could pay in installments; we really can't –' Molly interjected, but the doctor only blinked at her, shaking his head as he cleared his throat.

'Actually, that is not necessary Mrs Weasley; your husband's bill has actually already been paid for, as well as additional costs for any medication we may give your husband upon his release.' All three of them stared in confusion at the doctor; both Molly and Arthur turned their wide open eyes to Ron, the obvious surprised expression on his face clearly showing that he wasn't expecting this anymore then they had. Molly rubbed the back of her neck as her eyebrows furrowed in frustrated confusion.

'Well – who paid for it?' She finally inquired, giving the doctor a stern puzzled look; the young man cleared his throat again, flipping through his papers once more.

'I'm afraid they had asked to remain anonymous. You seem to have a very caring and generous acquaintance.' Molly scratched the side of her head, glancing at her husband as they two merely stared eye to eye, puzzled. While they were grateful to whoever lifted this worry off their chests, they couldn't help but wonder who could have done such a generous act for them; they certainly couldn't think of any of their friends, unless it was a group effort.

Ron scratched the side of his chin as he tried to think of a list of acquaintances and friends that could have possibly paid off his father's medical bill for them; he couldn't think of any who'd remain "anonymous". He reached for his pendent out of a habit he had recently developed ever since Draco gave it to him for Christmas, fiddling with it in his fingers before the thought struck him like lightening. Startled blue eyes stared down at the silver colored heart, before a soft smile spread across rose colored lips.

'… Draco …'

'Did you say something, dear?' Molly asked, turning her attention to the small, barely audible word that escaped her son's mouth. Ron shook his head, gazing at his mother with a lovingly smile as he gripped the pendent tight in his hand.

'Nah – just talking to myself.' Molly blinked for a moment, her maternal instincts telling her wildly that the young redhead (Ron had re-dyed his hair back to its original color) knew something they didn't concerning this "anonymous" donor. She only sighed and smiled, also knowing full well that her son would not tell them anything until he felt they were ready for it. Ron gently patted Arthur on the shoulder, saying it was great they didn't have to worry about the bill and that in another two weeks, they'd be able to take him back home. Arthur's face instantly lit up at the thought of going back home, Molly promising that his first meal when he got back would be one of his favorite dishes.

**-8-**

He laid lazily against the couch, staring up at the plain white ceiling and finding himself drawing patterns that were non-existent. Draco tapped his fingers idly against his stomach, listening to the soft roar of the vacuum cleaner as Chanya ran it through the living room, sweeping up the dust and particles that may have treaded into the flat. The dark haired woman glanced up briefly from her work as she studied the blond man for a moment, before shaking her head and continued on with her cleaning. She was surprised he hadn't asked her for some chores to do like he usually did while waiting for a certain redhead lover to show up.

Ron had called earlier saying he was going straight from work to see his father in the hospital; Draco had no complaints and said he'd wait for the other man to come by later, although Ron had given no promises to that. Draco shifted as he reached a hand into his pocket, pulling out a single, silver key and held it up to his face. He gazed at it with a tender smile and sincerely hoped that Ron would stop by his flat today – it was a copy of his own key to the apartment. After he had picked up Anabel from the train station nearly less then a month ago, he had invited the redhead over to his apartment – just to show him around, and where he lived; he had been surprised to see the other man appear at his doorstep again two days later, and ever since had been coming over more frequently.

It was soon found out that Ron actually had his work closer to Draco's flat, so it was more convenient for him to visit the blond rather then have them both trek back to his place which was further. The smile widened on Draco's face as he clasped the key tight in his hand; if Ron wasn't here spending his afternoons with him, then Draco was most likely at his place, chatting or even cuddling on the tattered old couch at his lover's place.

'… he's been more open lately – this is catching me by surprise…'

'I know the vacuum is loud, sir, but not that loud.' Chanya reminded him; Draco blushed a little pushing himself up to a sitting position as he sent a side glare at the older woman's back. Chanya remained unfazed and lifted her foot to kick the button off on the machine; she turned her dark eyes to him, the faintest hint of a smile shining through black irises, the corner of his mouth twitching ever so slightly.

'Perhaps his love has become just as unbridled as yours, and he is no longer making the effort of holding it back.'

'This is coming from a woman who hasn't shown a smile in years.' Again, the corner of her mouth twitched, but at the same time Draco swore he could've seen a hit of sorrow and hurt flash in her eyes before the same blank, monotonic look came to strong, bold features. The blond sighed as he watched her tuck up the vacuum and carry it over to the hall closet to store it away; the image of a timid, scared, voice-less little girl played into his mind.

Although he had not come to "possess" Chanya until after his seventh birthday, he had run into her on occasions while growing up; he remembered the first day his father had brought her home. Draco could only imagine the kind of thoughts that were going through her head that day – alone, unwanted, scared, frustrated, unloved – seeing her scurry after his father day after day, or nervously tending to his mother's whims on the rare occasions. He had never thought much about her, but he hadn't been any older than her and back then his world had been full of superficial values, deceit and misery.

Draco stared down at the key in his hand; he really hoped that Ron would stop by today – he really wanted to give this to the redhead. It would be easier if the other man could just let himself in, incase he was either running errands or, as of recently, being forced to spend time with his "fiancée" on a date planned by their mothers. The bitter hatred act between him and Anabel was working better then he expected; the fact that their mothers were pushing so hard to make them get along showed they were worried. It wouldn't be long now before both women decide if this engagement would be worth it.

A sudden rapping on the door had Draco's attention immediately, literally jumping off the couch and running to the door before Chanya even had a chance to pause her dusting and answer it. The blond calmed down a little first, before slowly opening the door, not at all surprised to see a certain freckled-face, redhead standing on the other side.

'Really Ron – coming here everyday? Seems a bit obsessive, don't you think?' Ron only hummed, looking at the shorter man with a teasing grin.

'Hm, well tell me love – was that you running to the door just now, or do you just have really rowdy neighbors?' They both laughed at each other's tease, Draco stepping aside as he let the other man inside. Ron toed his shoes off at the mini hallway entrance, neatly tucking them to the side to save Chanya the trouble of doing so; the older woman quickly put her dust sweeper away, reaching for the tie that was holding her long, straight thick hair out of her face before disappearing through a door on the left.

'You may summon me if you require anything, Master Draco, Mr Weasley.'

'I think we can manage on our own, Chanya.' The woman merely nodded, before walking into her own room, the door shutting quietly behind her back as she left the two men alone with each other. Draco gestured towards the couch, Ron following suit as he walked over to sit down on it, the blond trailing closely behind him.

'So – how is he doing? Your father that is?' Draco asked as he let himself sink gracefully into the cushion; almost instantly Ron cuddled up to him, giving him a rather long, romantic kiss on the mouth. Icy grey eyes stared at him in slight surprise, before reaching a slender, pale around the broad shoulder.

'What was _that_ for?'

'I can't give you kiss out of the blue? And my dad's fine, thanks. He should be able to leave in about two weeks.' Draco smiled as he threaded his hands through smooth, semi long red locks; he was surprised Ron didn't get his hair trimmed while having it re-dyed. His hair was almost reaching shoulder length, and he could nearly tie off in a very small ponytail in the back. Elegant, slender fingers twirled a strand of flaming red playfully, Ron lightly petting his thigh as they snuggled together, talking about various things.

'Oh – I almost forgot; Ginny had her babies.'

'Really? It's about time, actually. How long overdue were they again?' Ron shifted a little as he lifted his head off the smaller frame, reaching into his back pocket for his phone.

'I think they were about three weeks late; Ginny was miserable the whole time. Dean said she was practically celebrating when her water finally broke.' Draco laughed a little, before a sudden uneasy feeling flooded his stomach; Ron fiddled with his phone for a bit, opening up the small photo gallery he had stored on it.

'They're not the best photos, but Ginny was refusing to have any pictures of her. Ah, see – this is both of them after they were cleaned up and all.' Draco took the phone from Ron's hand, gazing down at the slightly blurry photo of two little, tan skinned babies wrapped up warmly in blankets and the most peaceful expression on their faces. Ron pointed to the one on the left.

'Both boys – that one's Gerard, he came out first. And that's Rory; they fairly certain they won't look-a-like, so that's one less trouble for them.' Ron added with a slight laughing, briefly thinking about his older brothers who were identical twins; he had to wandered briefly if he'd see them later when he goes back to visit their parents.

'Your nephews are very cute, Ron.' Draco forced an uneasy smile before handing the phone back to Ron. The redhead smiled softly as he nodded his head, exiting out of the photo gallery on his phone and simply stared at it.

'They let me – hold one of the twins; I think it was Rory. He's smaller then Gerard, I believe; it's almost incredible, though. I felt like – well – let's just say it was kind of a good feeling.' Ron hesitated, before pocketing his phone away; Draco only hummed as he gently patted his lover on the arm, staring off in the opposite direction. He had to wonder why Ron spoke of his nephews with such softness and loving tenderness, and the emotion it seemed to stir in the other man when he talked about holding one. The blond grimaced inwardly – plain and simple, he hated kids; he just couldn't find the same kind of joy that other parents had whenever he happened to catch a child playing with their father, or sharing an afternoon snack with their mothers. Perhaps the lack of having "loving, caring" parents in his life had influenced this disinterest in having kids of his own someday; not that it would be physically possible between him and Ron, but the option of adopting was readily available.

The blond was pulled away from his thoughts as he felt a rather firm, tender kiss on his cheek, turning blinking grey eyes to concerning light blue ones.

'Hey – you all right? You got really quiet all of a sudden.' Ron asked with slight worry; Draco hugged him tight around the shoulder, leaning in to steal a quick, tender kiss from rosy lips.

'I'm fine, I was just – thinking too deeply, I guess.' He replied light-heartedly; Ron only hummed, before resting his head against the other man's chest. He listened to the steady heart beat of his lover, feeling it immediately calm his own dilemma that was raging in his head. Coming from a big family, of course in recent years had made Ron want one of his own; while he knew having his own blood children would never come true, he had accepted that and would gladly adopt. The problem he knew lied with Draco; he knew the blond wasn't fond of children of any age, and he had been afraid of mentioning these wishes to him, predicting the reactions that would follow.

A soft sigh escaped him before he couldn't even stop it; Ron was in no particular hurry to raise a family – not yet. Draco still had to break his engagement with Anabel, and Ron had yet to receive a decent income to support a child (although, he was half certain Draco would insist on taking care of those things). He felt gently fingers play with his hair again, reaching a hand to pet his lover on the thigh again, as he temporarily pushed these thoughts aside for now; when he felt that both he and Draco were ready for the subject, he'd take a risk and spring it on him.

**-- ****Chapter Fourteen**** --**

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Hmm – these things should come with timelines, shouldn't they … Well, just so people know, it is now almost February (January is ending in like – 8 days), so nya – I'm working on it …

Thank you for reading


	15. Chapter 15

Well, it was already written, so might as well post it! Chapter 16 is in the works! Yay – but I think we're almost coming to close on this story – aww… bad things are impending ahead…

**Warnings:** AU (Alternate Universe); no magic is involved; may contain some minor sexual content as the story progresses.

I, in no way, own Harry Potter or any of the characters I'm about to exploit in this story. All characters, unless said otherwise, belong to J.K Rowling. She's making the money, not me…

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**-- Chapter Fifteen --**

The weather was getting warmer as the months of spring were slowly approaching; even within the bleak England weather, the sun had managed to shine today, the clear blue sky sparkling as very few white clouds drifted about it. Yet of all the days to have a perfectly clear day, and he was stuck spending it inside firstly a mansion – secondly listening to two socialite women titter and chat on about nothing.

Draco let out an agitated sigh, arms crossed over his chest and tapping his foot furiously against the marbled floor. Anabel was sitting next to him on the elaborate sofa, her hands folded neatly on her lap as she sat patiently and calmly, but the bitter expression on her face clearly showed she wasn't any happier with the meeting then her "fiancé" was.

Margalita and Narcissa chatted endlessly about the latest gossip and the richest trends, both sipping causally away at their tea, seeming oblivious to their children's dislike of being here. When neither women were looking, Anabel quickly glanced over at Draco, and he saw her roll her eyes, the blond giving her a quick sympathetic look back at her, before putting a scowl permanently on his face.

It was rare to have such a perfect day like this, and he had hoped to send the day out with Ron; he had just been ready to call up his redhead lover when the phone rang before he could reach it. Dreading who it would be, he hesitated a moment to answer it, practically groaning when he heard his mother's voice on the other and complaining loudly to her when she told him that they would be having tea with Margalita and Anabel.

He stole a quick glance to the young woman next to him; her large brown eyes hinted boredom and slight disappointment. No doubt she had hoped to sneak out with Jason and enjoy this lovely day with him; she had equally expressed dislike to this meeting. A silent sigh escaped both of them, both groaning inwardly as Sylvester brought in more tea and some biscuits for them.

**-8-**

Ron carefully stepped in through the doors of the restaurant, quietly telling the host walking up to him that he was meeting someone here; it didn't take him long before he spotted his best mate waving to him, walking over to the table as he greeted his friends with a smile.

'Hey – thanks for inviting me out, but you really didn't have to.' Harry only clapped him on the shoulder as he stood up, flashing his best friend a smile.

'We don't mind; besides, it's been while since we've gotten together just the three of us.'

'Our three became four.' Ron teased, leaning down to give Hermione a friendly kiss on the cheek, before cooing softly at the little bundle lying in her arms. A proud grin flashed across both their faces, Harry sitting back down on his chair while Ron took a seat across from them. Timaues Jeremiah Potter was born around the time Ron had just found out about his father's accident, and had been one of the reasons why he's been seeing his friends less frequently as of late. He already had a small patch of dark hair on his head, which stuck up on end and they could all tell that he was definitely going to take after Harry as far as the hair was concerned. He had Hermione's brown eyes, which were wide open and staring around curiously at his new surroundings; they could see he was going to grow that itch of wanting to know everything that his mother herself had as child growing up.

'I know this is late, but congratulations to both of you on a beautiful little boy.' They smiled at him, Harry reaching his arm around his wife as he leaned his head against her shoulder, staring lovingly at their son Hermione was holding in her arms. Ron felt a slight ache in his chest knowing he'd never be able to experience the same thing with Draco, but also because he wished he could've been there to see Timaues be born. He had called them while Hermione was still in the hospital, to let them know what had happened to his father and how he swore he was going to resolve things between him and his parents. It had come as a bit of surprised that Hermione already had her baby – Timaues was two weeks early.

'We're really sorry we haven't spent much time with you, Ron. But you know how it gets with a new born sometimes.' Hermione apologised; Ron leaned his chin on his palm, gazing at her with a soft smile.

'Aw hell, you know I don't have any problems with it. I know you and Harry are busy with Timaues; if you ever need a baby-sitter, I'm willing to watch over him, if you want?' He added somewhat eagerly that it made both Harry and Hermione laugh; they both knew how much their friend really wanted a child of his own, and agreed to let him know when they needed someone to watch over Timaues should they ever want time to themselves.

Ron snagged down a waiter to ask for menu, since Harry and Hermione had already ordered for themselves, picking out not only a main dish, but an appetizer and a side dish as well. They both looked at their friend strangely, Hermione adjusting her hold steadily on Timaues as a teasing grin came to her face.

'That's a lot of food, Ron.'

'Ah – sorry; I didn't mean – I'm just really hungry right now. Had a pretty rough time at work just now.' Hermione gently rocked her son in her arms, still gazing at her friend with a teasing smile.

'You're not a teenager anymore, Ron. Your metabolism has probably slowed down, and you don't work out as much as you use to, you know.' Ron looked at her with a slight scowl, but a tint of pink flashed across his cheeks at the statement.

'And you wonder why I never want to eat out with you; you keep calling me fat, not real good for my esteem you know.' All three of them laughed, before moving on to other topics, catching up on the things they have missed in the other's lives while they waited for the food to arrive. About half way through their meals, Hermione's tone dropped to a slightly serious pitch, carefully putting Timaues into the stroller before turning a steady gaze to Ron. The redhead blinked at her for a moment, before seeing a similar expression on her husband's face; Ron moaned as he buried his face in his palm.

'Not this again…'

'Ron, I know we've nagged you way too much about this, but –'

'We know you're happy with Malfoy and all, but we're still concerned. You've already told us he's trying to break his engagement to Anabel Calabrese, but we just – I've got a bad feeling about this, Ron.' Hermione nagged; Ron only sighed as he shook his head. He just couldn't convince them that Draco was different from his family, and that the blond loved him more then anything else in the world. While he knew their concern was simply because they cared about him, and just didn't want to see him get hurt again, it annoyed him that they wouldn't give Draco a chance to prove him different. Then again, it didn't particularly helped that Draco didn't want to see them; true years of bitter teen rivalry was hard to overcome, but he truly believed that they might actually grow to like Draco if they could just see the man Ron saw everyday he was with him.

The redhead put his fork down to reach for the pendent on his neck; it was no secret how much this simple object meant to him, and he had made it's meaning perfectly clear to Harry and Hermione and made absolute sure they knew that Draco understood the meaning behind the dual symbols of this design.

'Look, I really appreciate that you guys are looking out for me and all, but I really believe in Draco. I know I haven't exactly made the best of choices as teen, but it's different this time. This time I'm absolutely sure about this relationship.'

'We just don't want to see you have your heart played with and then trampled all over and thrown away in the end.' Hermione admitted softly; she had seen that happen to her friend twice and both times had left the redhead almost completely messed up in the head, she was worried that he'd try something stupid or dangerous. Ron fondled the pendent in his hand, both wincing at the action they had vaguely come to familiarize themselves with; as much as they hated to admit that their better judgment was wrong, there was no denying the proof sitting around their best friend's neck of the blond's love for him.

'Hermione – Harry – it's great that I can count on you guys for anything; hell, you two were there for me when I couldn't go to my parents about my preferences. I don't want to argue over this – not with you two.'

'That's – a pretty big favour you're asking us, Ron.' Harry said absently, twirling his fork idly in his food; Ron forced a smile as he glanced down at the table. It was usually always him that caused the fights between them – mostly between him and Harry, so it was rare for him to _not_ want to fight with his best mate.

'I just solved my problems with my parents; my long since crumbling, broken love life finally has a solid life line, and I'm at the happiest I can be right now – I don't want to live with guilt or shame for arguing with my best friends and shutting them out.' Both of them sighed, before glancing at each other defeated; they too did not want to shun their friend just because they couldn't agree with who he was dating. Ron put on a light hearted smile, picking up his fork again as he resumed eating.

'I haven't told my parents yet, but – Draco was the one who paid for my dad's hospital bill.' They both looked surprised at him, Hermione nearly dropping her knife while Harry almost choked on a piece of lettuce he had swallowed. Ron couldn't help but smile at their reactions.

'And before you ask, no, he hasn't admitted it yet, but I know he did. And I know for a fact that that money most likely came from his own account.' The couple could only stare in slight surprise as they glanced at each other; Ron couldn't help the slight smug feeling that was threatening to show on his face, covering it up with a fork full of food as his thoughts travelled to his boyfriend – who was currently trapped at the mercy of his mother.

Ron sighed, looking past the heads of his friends and out through the clear glass windows of the restaurant; he had hoped to spend today with Draco, but the blond had called him earlier and told him about the lunch/tea meeting his mother had set up with Anabel's mother, and the plans had been quickly crushed. He sighed once more, before a smile spread across his face; he'd probably go over to Draco's flat later tonight and just spend the entire night with him then. It was becoming a habit and Ron had to wonder just how long before this habit turned into staying with the blond permanently.

_Permanently … that – actually has a nice sound to it._ He thought to himself, his mind wondering to his earlier thoughts back at the cabin during Christmas, and to recent conversations he had been having with his parents about his boyfriend. Ron gripped the pendent tight in his hand; he was done thinking about this, and was not going to hesitate tonight.

**-8-**

The street lamps below softly filtered in through the open window, a warm evening breeze was surprisingly delightful as it blew lightly into the room. A faint source of light coming from the dimmed lamp on the side drawer gave a soft glow to pointed, pale features, giving his lover an almost angelic look.

Ron gently nuzzled and kissed along Draco's nape, his arms resting on either side of the smaller man beneath him; Draco squirmed and snickered at the sensation as he tried to push the redhead off him.

'Come on, Ron, get off – you're heavy.'

'Oh gee – thanks a lot.' Ron propped himself up on his elbows as he gazed down at the blond lying under him; Draco smiled softly up at him, reaching a hand out to brush aside long red locks, pulling it behind the other man's ear in an effort to remove it from his face. His hair wouldn't stay in place and just simply fell back in front of Ron's face, the blond pouted firmly at how uncooperative it was being, a laugh escaping the redhead. He leaned down to capture pale rose lips in a tender kiss, before pulling back, gently caressing sharp features.

'… Everything all right, Ron?' Draco asked tentatively; Ron blinked at the question curiously.

'Yeah, I'm fine. Why? Something off with me?' Draco reached to grasp the hand at his face with his own, a content sigh escaping him.

'No, it's just – you've been acting a little strange lately.'

'Really? How so?' The blond opened his mouth trying to think of how to voice what was different about his lover, but he just couldn't think of the words to describe it. The recent open affection set aside, there was also something that just seemed to make the redhead more attractive then usual; perhaps it was the fact Ron seemed to be letting his hair grow out. Draco hadn't really thought about the idea of seeing Ron with long hair, but the more he thought about it and stared at him, the more he was finding the idea attractive. Draco shrugged his shoulders, unsure on how to explain what was strange with Ron.

'I don't know, you just seem – different lately; not that I mind, I mean…' A look so soft and tender spread across the freckled face that he was practically glowing, that Draco's breathe almost stopped; Ron embraced him tight as he rested his head against the other man's shoulder, the blond looking at him a little puzzled.

'I guess I've just been thinking a lot, lately…'

'Well, considering all that's been happening recently, it's not sur –'

'I want us to live together.' Ron interrupted; this time Draco was sure his breathe had stopped, staring down at his with lover with wide eyes. He wasn't sure if he heard that right – surely anything with the words "us", "live" and "together" all in the same sentence was the last thing he had expected the redhead to say.

'Wh-what did you say?' Ron lifted his head to gaze at the smaller man beneath him; it was surprising to Draco to see the shine reflecting intensely in bright blue eyes. He had only seen this look when the redhead was determinedly sure about something.

'I want us under the same roof, Draco – to be able to share the same space with each other; to be able to come home and be welcomed by the other from work, or outings. To be able to leave from the same place and come back together everyday for the rest of our lives.' Draco could only stare in shock at the words that were spilling aimlessly from full rose lips, but he felt it was in a good way. The thought of living together with Ron had never crossed his mind, but then he had been so wrapped with breaking his engagement, he hadn't really had time to think about future plans with his bright haired lover. A tender smile replaced the shock on his face, reaching slender pale hands to hold the strong, determined face in a gentle caress.

'The rest of our lives, huh … that's a pretty long time, Ron.'

'It feels like it's not long enough…' He whispered softly, making the blond laugh in slight agreement as he nodded his head; as his mind thought more about it, Draco really did want to live with Ron. How many times before he had wished to have the redhead by his side like this, and then when that had come true, perhaps subconsciously he wanted to have him by his side constantly, never wanting to let him go.

'So – "we'll be together forever" and "our love will never die or break" and all that shit?' Ron chuckled at how his fair haired lover phrased it, pressing his pendent firmly against Draco's chest, just over the area where his heart would be.

'Yeah, all that shit and what not. I want to be with you, Draco – always.'

'Even when we get old, fat and wrinkly?' This time Ron couldn't hold back his laughter, leaning his forehead against the other's as he spoke.

'Even when we're old, fat and wrinkly – I will be with you till the day we die and beyond that.' For a moment, Draco thought his throat had closed up on him and he couldn't find any more words to say to his lover; he had never wanted anything else more in the world than to be able to love the redhead freely, with no worries, no limits and no judgment. The brief sting of tears hit the corner of icy grey eyes, Draco quickly suppressing them as he reached up to kiss Ron deeply on the mouth, this over flowing joy slowly seeping into renewed passion as he felt large, strong hands wander down his sides. He was glad that the walls between his room and Chanya's were built rather thick, muffling the sounds he knew would travel over; if he and Ron were going to live together, he'd might have to find a new place for them – just so he could give Chanya a room as far as possible from theirs to allow her the peace of not having to put up with them having go at it for nearly every night of the week.

**-8-**

The lack of the moon tonight gave the study an eerie feel to it, the over hanging chandelier barely illuminating the dark mahogany wood that built the entire room from the floor, to the bookshelves to even the desk itself. The small splash of color was the deep, emerald green with just a hint of silver that decorated the floor and lined the chairs placed in that room.

Margalita was pacing frantically about the room, nervousness, fear and overall dislike of this dark, dreary room agitating her as she rung her hands. Lucius Malfoy merely stood calmly at the large glass window of his private study, slowly shifting a glass of red wine in his hand as he gazed steadily at the dark night sky.

'Perhaps you should sit down, Margalita; you're liable to pass out if you keep pacing as such.' The dark haired woman paused her pacing, staring at the man's back before eyeing the seat not far from his desk; she hesitated a moment before taking a seat, almost ungracefully sinking into the soft, crush velvet cushion.

'Things are not all well, Lucius. Anabel is refusing to meet with your son, and she is beginning to ignore my callings.'

'Quite – Narcissa has informed me that Draco is also showing some resistance to this arrangement.' He answered calmly, taking a careful sip from his glass; Margalita tapped her fingers together anxiously, unsure of why her daughter, who was normally well-behaved and mannerly, suddenly started being rebellious and difficult to deal with. The silence stretched on between them, Margalita pursing her lips, as she stared intently at the corner of the finely hand-made desk sitting in front of her.

'Perhaps we have no choice but to call off the engagement; it will only be a matter of time even we _do_ get them to marry that they'll divorce.' She expressed carefully, daring a risk glance at the man's back; Lucius was known to be vicious and precarious behind the eyes of the world, and it was this black world reputation that made Margalita wish to obtain some connection with him. Lucius' steady gaze did not falter at the suggestion, gently swirling the contents of his glass in his hand.

'Now, let us not be too hasty – I understand Anabel likes to spend time in the gardens.'

'Well, yes – she goes out to the gardens almost every afternoon; you know we have a wonderful assortment of exotic plants and growth.' Margalita replied hesitantly, throwing in a small brag out of habit; Lucius only hummed as he took another small sip of his wine, not turning his gaze away from the stars. If the sky was the world, and the stars its people, the stars would be cringing at the wicked grin set on pale features.

'Indeed, and I understand that she is unattended during this time?' The socialite blinked at the question, wondering where the answers would be leading this discussion; Margalita nodded her head, her tightly curled hair bouncing as she did so.

'Well, yes – I will not be pegged for an obsessive mother, watching her child's every move or habit.' She stated distinctly, sitting herself up straight and puffing her chest out proudly as she folded her hands on her lap; a slight chuckle escaped Lucius at the tone of voice she used, tapping the edge of the glass thoughtfully against his chin.

'Perhaps you should keep a closer eye on your daughter.'

'A-are you suggesting I spy on her –'

'I have a feeling that our children are getting along better then they are making us believe, but they are hiding something. They both happen to share dislike to the engagement, yet instead of behaving properly, they both insist on remaining stubborn,' he turned his steady gaze to face the short, stubbly woman sitting behind him, Margalita gulping at the grin spread across his face. 'My son has always been rather – thick-headed about what he viewed as right and wrong; he's been particularly stubborn about it in recent years.'

'Wha-what are you saying, Lucius?'

'I understand that Anabel is – _"alone"_ when she goes out to the gardens?'

'Of course, she is! The gardener's quarters are on the other side of the manor, and I've seen both Mr Hart and his son working tirelessly on that end of the garden.' The grin seemed to widen on his face, making the woman cringe slightly as he tapped his glass down gently on the desk.

'Is that so? How often do you check on Mr Hart and his son?'

'Oh well – I…' Margalita paused as she stared up at Lucius aghast, standing to her feet in an instant as she glared nervously at him.

'Lucius! You are not suggesting that – that my daughter is…'

'One should never look away possibilities, Margalita. I suggest you keep a closer eye on your daughter; a young woman can only spend so much time among flowers and trees.' He swooped his glass up from the desk in one quick, smooth motion, bringing the rim to his lips as he carefully sipped the red liquid before holding it up against the dark night sky. The grin on his face was almost malicious; Margalita gazed tensely at the fair haired man, thinking indeed that if Lucius was implying what she thought he was, he'd no doubt deal with their problem efficiently and effectively. A slight grin tugged at the corner of her own mouth; she knew far more about the black world connections Lucius had then any of his other associates and she had to admit, she was almost tickled to see the results she knew this dangerous man would present if Anabel indeed was seeing someone behind their backs.

**-- Chapter Fifteen --**

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Yes well – if you think Lucius was a bastard before, just wait… bad things are going to happen :(


	16. Chapter 16

Hi yo – got stuck at another road block again … shall try and get past it, but roadside control decided to take a holiday … anyways – new chapter.

**Warnings:** AU (Alternate Universe); no magic is involved; may contain some minor sexual content as the story progresses.

I, in no way, own Harry Potter or any of the characters I'm about to exploit in this story. All characters, unless said otherwise, belong to J.K Rowling. She's making the money, not me…

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**-- Chapter Sixteen --**

Ron held his father by the arm as he walked him up the stone laid path leading up to the door of the small, homely looking house; a nostalgic feeling rose in Ron's chest as he stared up at the old house. No matter what had happened under this roof, this was still his home that he left behind; the memories of numb feelings from his last three years he spent in that house faded, slowly being replaced by the warm, loving memories he was familiar with.

'This is a thousands times worth, but – welcome home, Ron.' Arthur said softly to him, since not once he had said it to his son after the night he had confessed his sexual orientation to them. Ron looked at him in surprise for a moment, before a soft smile spread across his face, gently squeezing his father's arm as they stopped at the door.

'I should be saying that to you.' He nudged softly, turning the handle clockwise before easing the door open for Arthur to walk through; the senior Weasley slowly limped his way inside, leaning on the cane he was given to use until his leg was strong enough to support his weight again. Ron led him towards the living room, still vaguely remembering the layout of the house; Arthur sighed appreciatively at being back in his own home.

'It's so nice to be back home.' No sooner had he said that there was a string of small popping noises, dark brown eyes staring wide in slight surprise as the faces of his family appeared out of hiding, a few popping open party streamers.

'Welcome back, Arthur.' Molly said tenderly as she approached her husband, giving him a light kiss on the cheek; Arthur gave them all a huge smile as he took Molly around the shoulder, giving her a tight hug.

'Come on, mum – you know it'll take more then a car to take dad down.' One of the twins teased, walking up arm in arm together, both with grins on their faces.

'Right – I'll bet even a bull couldn't run him down even if it tried.' The other added; Arthur only laughed and shook his head at his sons; no matter how old they got, Fred and George were just determined to never truly grow up, no matter how much Molly would nag them. They took their father carefully around the shoulder and lead him to sit down, so the rest of the family could celebrate his recovery and return home in proper Weasley manner; Ginny and Dean approached him with the twins in their arms, Arthur not hiding the proud grin on his face as he gazed at his grandsons' faces. He had still been in the hospital when Ginny finally had the twins, but was grateful that he lived through his accident to see them, even if he wasn't there to see them be born.

Ron watched from the archway of the room with a smile; he saw Bill and his wife, Fleur along with their four year old daughter go over to Arthur, giving their relief that he was alive and well. Ron felt a mix of jealously and amusement at the silly grin that flashed across his father's face as Fleur let him feel the baby moving inside of her; the redhead glanced away as his smile faded, turning his back to the room as he tried to force back the ache in his chest. He walked into the open base kitchen, sitting down at the very same table he had sat at for every meal he ate here growing up.

Ron buried his face in his palms, letting out a silent scream of frustration; he couldn't understand why he was getting all emotional over this. He knew from the start that he'd never be able to physically have kids with the one he loved, and he had accepted it full hearted when his thoughts began turning to raising a family. But seeing his sisters, his best friend – none of them had the greatest time during their pregnancies, but despite so – the joy, the feeling of creating something beautiful with someone they loved and cherished, Ron had to admit he was jealous.

'Are you all right, honey?' Ron jumped slightly at his mother's concerning voice, turning his head to see her standing in the door way of the kitchen, her round brown eyes sincere with worry. Ron wiped at his eyes as he forced a smile, waving a hand causally as he answered his mother.

'Yeah, I'm fine mum; I just – needed a bit to myself, that's all.' The frown on Molly's face showed that she wasn't convinced; the redhead's heart leapt as Molly made her way over to the table and sat down next to him, the stern look on her face saying she was not leaving him till she made her son feel better. Normally he would have been frustrated or felt suffocated by this daunting habit, but it had been so long since his mother made him feel like he was twelve.

'Well – you know the drill, there's the hard way and the easy way. And I suggest the easy way.' Ron laughed slightly as he pulled his hair away from his face, giving Molly a genuine smile from his heart.

'It's just – maybe I'm just being over dramatic about this – it's hard; seeing how happy everyone is when their kid is born, I want – I want the same thing, I mean – I know it's physically impossible for me to have a kid of my own, but I … god, I'm beginning to sound like a woman.' Ron groaned, burying his face in his palm as a blush spread across his face. Molly couldn't help but giggle at her son's own statement, repeatedly apologising to him as he gave her a small scowl.

'I'm sorry, sweetie – it's just rare to see you so emotional like this. You were always very careful about that – even before you told us you were gay.' Ron flushed slightly; he was still trying to get use to having his parents so accepting of his sexuality, and talking openly like this with his mother again. A sigh escaped him as he folded his hands across the table, staring off to the side.

'Maybe he's right – maybe something _is_ off with me.'

'He as in your boyfriend?' Molly inquired; Ron nodded his head. He hadn't told his parents yet who his boyfriend was – he hadn't even told Ginny, Bill or Charlie yet; the Malfoy family was not particularly known for their good conduct. He knew his family felt particularly strong about the Malfoys, and he knew his father was just waiting for some news or scandal that would bring some justice or law firm on them.

'He's been saying something's a bit off with me too lately, I don't know – I don't really feel any different. Well, aside from occasional emotional storms.' Molly gently clasped her hand over his, giving him an encouraging squeeze and a warm smile. Before she could open her mouth to continue talking, there was a quick knock on the door, both looking puzzled before an enlightened expression came to the elder matron's face. Molly stood up from the chair to answer the door, a wide smile on her face as she greeted the person on the other side.

'Glad you finally came; it's unusual for _you_ to be late.' Molly stepped aside to let them, Ron felt his gut plummet as his third eldest brother walked in; Percy paused in his tracks upon seeing his youngest brother sitting at the table. For a moment they stared blankly at each other, before Percy suddenly ducked his head away, chewing down on his lower lip. Ron glanced away to the far corner of the room; out of all his siblings, the one who took the news of him being gay the hardest was Percy. It had not been particularly easy living with accusing glares being sent in his direction, or the occasional catching of murmured disappointments and disproval when they passed by in the hallway or through the doors.

'Is Nicholas not coming?' Molly quickly asked as she hurried Percy over to the living room where Arthur and the rest of the family were. Percy cleared his throat as he allowed her to drag him across the room.

'No, he said he wasn't feeling well, which is why I was late. I wanted to make sure he'd be all right by himself.'

'Oh the poor thing; well, if he needs anything, you know I'm more then willing to help out.' Percy thanked her quietly before heading out of the kitchen; Molly asked him to let the rest of the family know she and Ron would be with them in a moment. Percy nodded his head stiffly, and Ron couldn't help but feel there was something odd the way he did it; true his older brother still had distaste for his sexual orientation, but there was something in his manner that suggested – guilt?

Molly sat back down at the table, resuming her place next to her youngest son as she sighed and fussed over whether Nicholas would be all right. Curiosity gnawed at him, till he finally couldn't take it anymore.

'Who's Nicholas?'

'Oh – he's Percy's flat mate; they've been living together for about two years now. He's really such a sweet child – perhaps when he's feeling better you can meet him next time.' Ron only hummed in agreement; somehow he felt anyone who was able to room with his brother for that long either had to be of similar kin or was just plain crazy. Molly fussed one more time over Nicholas, before switching back her attention to the matter at hand – Ron's apparent jealously of women's ability to carry and give birth to a child. Ron blushed furiously as he strained an embarrassed laugh at how his mother worded the subject, Molly playfully shaking him by the shoulders as she laughed herself, before promising that she'd be more serious about it for now on.

**-8-**

The clouds were beginning to grow dim, covering the bleak grey sky as they hid the sun behind them. Draco scowled up at the clouds, hoping it would not rain on him as he waited on the small wooden bench. He tugged his coat tighter around him, putting his hands in his pocket as he watched the people pass by; Ron's father would be released from the hospital today, so the redhead had planned to be spending most of the day with his family, welcoming the elder Weasley home. A small smile graced his lips at the thought; he was glad that the other man was able to talk freely to his family again, after having avoided them for so long.

Draco sighed as he stared up at the clouds; Ron had been thinking of introducing him to his family soon since they've been talking about plans of living together recently. The redhead was still trying to warm up his folks to the thought, and they agreed to do this slowly; his family name stood against him, and this was one of those times Draco wished he could just throw it away and just be – Draco.

He let out another sigh turning his gaze away from the graying clouds, glancing this way and that, before looking down at his watch.

_They're late…_ He grumbled mentally to himself; he was suppose to be meeting with Anabel and Jason today since it seems that their mothers didn't have any planned dates for them recently, and it had been a while since he was able to just "hang out" with them causally. He took his hand out of his pocket, tapping his fingers idly on his knee as he continued searching up and down the path for the couple. After several more minutes, he finally spotted them speed walking towards the little bench.

'About time you two showed up.'

'I'm really sorry, Draco, but my mother was being persistent and kept asking me what I was up to.' Anabel apologised, holding her hands together in a prayer motion as she gave the blond a nervous smile. Draco only shook his head as he stood up from the bench, shrugging his shoulders.

'Don't worry about it. Well, shall we be on our way then?'

'I suggest we go for cover – it looks like it's going to rain.' Jason suggested, pointing a cautious finger up to the steadily darkening gray sky; Anabel and Draco agreed, the young brunette tugging at her wide brim hat to keep the sudden wind from blowing it off her head.

They quickly hiked their way out of the small park, coming across a small indoor café and went inside to grab a seat; they had just about sat down when the faint sound of what was unmistakably rain began drizzling lightly outside.

'Sweet – just in time too.' Jason cheered, helping Anabel out of her coat before pulling the chair out for her to sit down; the young woman blushed slightly, chiding him that she didn't need such treatment. The sandy-haired man only laughed, giving her a quick peck on the cheek, before folding her coat on the back of her chair and sat down next to her. Draco shrugged off his own coat, hanging it off the back of his own chair.

'You two sure I'm not impeding? I don't want to feel like a third wheel…'

'Oh Draco, its fine. With how our mothers have been lately, it's hard to just spend time with you as a friend.' Anabel assured softly; Jason leaned forward in his seat as he reached an arm around her, a huge teasing grin on his face.

'Actually, what she means is, yes – you're intruding, and we're actually on a date since your mothers have been preventing us from having any quality time together.' Anabel nudged him hard in the side, Draco only chuckling as he folded his hands across the table.

'So sorry then; perhaps next time I'll drag Ron out and make it a double-date outing.' The two men only laughed, Anabel rolling her eyes as she shook her head at their joking.

'How is Ron's father doing?' She asked tentatively, once she was sure both men were done fooling around; Draco smiled softly as he looked through the drink menu.

'He's suppose to be leaving the hospital today, so Ron went to pick him up and take him home.'

'Ah, so that is why you're alone today.' Jason commented; Draco only snorted as he forced himself not to roll his eyes at that. They haven't been able to get together all four of them, but Draco didn't hide the fact from them that he and Ron were almost practically living together; if he wasn't staying over at the other man's place, then the redhead was likely with him. There were some days Ron would just bring an extra pair of clothing and just go to his work the next day; the days drawing closer and closer to the reality of breaking his engagement with Anabel and being able to live with Ron had him more exciting then anything else in the world.

'So – do you have any plans after we "break up", Anabel?' Draco asked curiously, quietly thanking the waiter as he put the tea infront of him. Anabelput a finger to her lips as she went into thought about it, sheepishly glancing at Jason from the side; Draco watched them curiously, seeing an amazingly soft expression on the other man's face.

'Actually – Jason and I have been talking about it recently.'

'Really? So – are you just going to refuse every other man your mother tries to line up for you, until she agrees to let you marry him?' He asked jokingly; much to the blond's surprise, a warm blush spread across both their faces, Jason reaching a hand to hold Anabel's.

'We're – actually thinking of eloping.' Jason admitted slightly hesitant, his hazel grey-green boring softly into Anabel's doe brown eyes. Draco looked slightly surprised between the two, before a gentle smile came to his face, reaching for the handle of his cup, taking a quiet sip from it.

'Really? Bit of a risky chance, don't you think?'

'I promised Annie I'd take her to Spain, so that's probably where we'll run to.'

'Spain?'

'I visited it there once with my mother when I was child, but I don't remember much; I really did like what I do remember though.' Anabel smiled gently, Jason intertwining his fingers with hers as he lifted her hand to his lips, giving the woman a tender kiss on the fingers. Draco nursed his cup as he grinned at them.

'Spain, huh – do you even speak Spanish, Anabel?'

'I don't, but Jason is pretty fluent in it.' She replied surely; Jason gently nudged her on the arm, a sheepish grin on his face.

'I'm not _that_ fluent; just enough to get around.'

'Really? You speak Spanish? That's rather unexpected.'

'Well, my mother was from Spain before marrying my dad; she use to speak to me in Spanish all the time before she died.' Jason explained, reaching a hand for his cup as he took a sip from it, his other hand not letting go of Anabel's as he held her tenderly. Draco gave him a sympathetic smile, before replacing it with a grin, leaning forward as he rested his elbows on the table.

'So the tanned skin is natural, then?'

'Hundred-percent artificial-free!' The sandy haired man stated proudly, making both Anabel and Draco laugh at the statement. They continued to chat and enjoy their tea till the rain finally cleared up an hour later, paying for the bill before gathering up their coats and hats and continued out of the café to enjoy the rest of the day. As they were walking away from the corner, Draco paused, glancing over his shoulder at the sudden feeling swelling in his chest. He glanced over the heads of the crowd, straining past the hats, scarves and the few opened umbrellas as he tried to place this feeling of suspicion.

'Ah – Draco, is everything all right?' Anabel asked when she noticed that the blond had stopped following them; Draco didn't hear her, still scanning the mass of people walking past them or away from them. The blond frowned as he furrowed his brows in slight frustration, before turning around to catch up with the couple ahead of him.

'I'm fine, sorry – just thought I saw something, but I guess I was seeing things.' Anabel and Jason glanced at each other briefly, the taller of the two shrugging quickly before wrapping his arm around her waist and began walking off. Draco took one last glance behind, before following after them; he couldn't set aside the feeling that someone had been watching them. He brushed it aside for now, not wanting to upset this friendly outing by worrying Anabel and Jason with his paranoia.

**-8-**

He angled the phone carefully, holding it steady as it clicked and froze the image moving on the screen; he cancelled the camera mode of the phone before quickly browsing through the gallery storing up all the recent pictures he had taken so far since following the trio from the park. A rough grin appeared across the devious face as he stared at the photos showing quite clearly that the young Malfoy heir was indeed exhibiting friendly terms with the young lady Calabrese; the last picture showed the second young man's arm around her waist, the brunette not showing a hint of discomfort or dislike – in fact, she seemed quite comfortable with his arm around her.

_The paid dirt on this will be delicious._

He reached a scruff hand to lower the rim of his cap over his eyes as he slinked away into the shadows, the clicking sounds of the phone being drowned out by the noise of the crowds as he sent off his findings to his inquirer. The anticipation of the man's next instructions was enough to send his blood shrilling with delight; it had been a long time since the elite business man had given him a job.

**-8-**

'… and if I could divert your attention to these diagrams here, gentlemen.' Lucius pointed to the figures pinned to the board behind him, all eyes gazing seriously at him as he spoke. This was power – the ability to have all eyes set on one person and have their full attention; it was not about the money or the status – it was about the followers, the listeners. The more people you have who will listen to you, the more likely they will do as you wish; if you had charm and charisma, money and rank should not matter. His fortune, as well as his high standing were merely a bonus.

A light, monotonic beeping sound distracted his attention, the fair haired man reaching into his pocket as he pulled out the sleek, black phone; he gazed at the number expectantly, a sly grin coming to his face at who the message was from.

'If you gentlemen could excuse me a moment; this is rather urgent.' They all merely nodded their heads, neither one complaining as Lucius stepped outside the conference room; he glanced briefly around the empty hallway before sliding the phone open and opened up the message he received. The grin on his face widened at the photo displaying his son and his fiancée – and just as he predicted, another young man he only needed but guess was the gardener for the Calabrese family. A few more followed after the first, each unmistakable proof of Anabel's involvement with another man, and his son's friendly behavior towards a woman he supposedly "disliked". The phone beeped one more time, this time displaying an actual message of words, instead of photos.

_What do you want me to do?_

It was simple and straight to the point; a light chuckle escaped him before quickly and efficiently typing back a reply.

_Be creative – but I want him alive._

With that, he snapped the phone shut, turning it off as there was no need for further instructions; not that that man needed any more after that. Lucius took a few more moments to himself to let the soft laughter out; since it was Fenrir, he had no doubts of the man's abilities, and would surely leave a good impression on his victim.

Once he was sure he could walk back into the meeting with a straight face, Lucius pocketed his phone away and straightened out his attire before strutting back into the room, clearing his throat as he got the men's attention again.

'Forgive the interruption, gentlemen; now then, as I was saying before…'

**-- Chapter Sixteen --**

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Evil things are afoot … this is not gonna end happily, but who knows…


	17. Chapter 17

Yay – think I'm finally over my road block for this one, so hopefully it'll move more smoothly from now, as I know more or less what happens after this…

Of course, that also means that this story is coming to an end v.v Which means… new projects! (or get my arse working on other ones .)

So – without further ado…

**Warnings:** AU (Alternate Universe); no magic is involved; may contain some minor sexual content as the story progresses.

I, in no way, own Harry Potter or any of the characters I'm about to exploit in this story. All characters, unless said otherwise, belong to J.K Rowling. She's making the money, not me…

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**-- Chapter Seventeen --**

'Come on, knock it off Ron.' Draco complained lightly, gently slapping away at the wandering hand attempting to tickle him on the side. Ron only snickered softly against his shoulder, successfully sneaking past the blond's defenses, an unexpected squeak escaping his fair haired lover. Ron laughed, Draco pouting over his shoulder at the redhead; he blushed at the unbelievable fact that that kind of sound came from_ his_ mouth.

'And you call me a bastard.'

'Why not? You're a jerk to me all the time, so I'd say it's all good for pay back.' Ron teased, wrapping his arms around the slender waist in front of him. Draco reached an arm behind him, reaching out a tender hand for his boyfriend's face as he leaned back against him. It was rare for Ron to have a day off from work, and have Draco not being forced to spend time with his fiancée at the same time; the days they were able to spend with each other were growing fewer this past month.

Ron gently nipped the flesh exposed along the blond's neck, Draco squirming slightly, giving the redhead a light squeeze on the thigh.

'You done teasing me now?' Draco asked jokingly, Ron giving him a slightly harder bite on the conjunction between the blond's neck and shoulder.

'Yeah, I guess so for now.'

'Oh – for now? Some boyfriend you are, ruthlessly teasing me all the time.' Draco pulled away from the broader body behind him, only to turn himself around to face the redhead, a sly grin coming to his face. Ron only smirked up at him, his hands reaching under the semi formal white shirt the blond was wearing.

'Not my fault you're so damn cute to tease.' He didn't answer him right away, swooping in to capture sultry rose lips with his, wrapping his arms around the taller man's neck, tangling slender, pale fingers through semi long red locks. He was still surprised Ron didn't get his hair trimmed, but he wasn't about to complain; he was beginning to like this small change. He felt large, strong hands tug at the hem of his shirt, but just barely got a chance to help remove it when the sound of the door bell forced them apart. Draco glared at the light colored piece of wood, Ron letting out a slight frustrated growl.

'It _never_ fails!' He muttered grumblingly under his breath; Draco let his arms slide off the redhead's neck, moving away from him to sit back down on the couch as Ron stood up to his feet and went to answer the door with a sullen tone.

'Hello – Hermione!' Ron jumped slightly, staring at the dark haired woman in surprise; Hermione gave him a sheepish grin, clapping her hands together.

'I know, I should've called, but I wanted to surprise you.' She explained shortly, accepting the friendly hug Ron held out to her.

'It's great to see you – Harry with Timaues?' He asked when he noticed she was by herself; Hermione shook her head.

'He's still at work, but my mum said she wanted to spend time with her grandson, so she's baby sitting him while I'm here.' Ron made a small noise of acknowledgement, before stepping aside from the door, gesturing for the woman to come in. Hermione did a short bow before stepping into the flat; her smile dropped instantly at the sight of a certain, pointed face blond, staring blankly over the back of the couch.

'Oh – I'm sorry, perhaps I _should've_ called; I didn't know you had – company.' Her voice was cold; Ron closed the door behind her, glancing between the two nervously, as they gazed eye to eye with the other. Ron gently tapped his friend on the shoulder.

'Now Hermione…' Draco let out a sigh, before standing up to his feet.

'So sorry for taking up your precious time with him – _Ms_ – I'll wait in the bedroom.'

'Draco –' Draco didn't face them, heading straight towards the redhead's room, slamming the door shut as hard as he could that it shook the pictures hanging on the walls near it. Hermione crossed her arms over her chest.

'Still as pleasant as ever, I see.' Ron frowned at her, shaking his head.

'Now don't start – if you hadn't acted like he was some kind of virus, he wouldn't have stormed off like that.'

'It's not like I said anything unpleasant – I was just noting you had company, is all.' Hermione justified, but Ron knew she understood what he meant; he gave her a slight glare.

'If you guys would just give him a chance – I know you're just worried that I might get hurt, but you don't know him like I do.'

'He's still a Malfoy, Ron. How do you know he's not playing around with you?!' Ron could only look at her speechless; a sudden anger was beginning to rise in his chest. He knew it was just anger speaking through both of them, but it still stung him to know that she thought like that.

'You think he's fooling around with me? If he really was, do you think we would've been together all this time?'

'Well, I –'

'We've been together for almost over eight years, Hermione! You really think that if he was just going to mess with me, he'd lead me on for that long?!'

'How will you know he won't hurt you?! It's been over 4 months and he is _still_ engaged to Anabel Calabrese; how do you know he's really breaking the engagement!'

'I just – argh!' Ron turned his back to her, tangling his fingers in his hair as he tried to pause for a moment and take in a few deep breaths. Hermione eyed him curiously; she had never seen him do that before, and while he had always been quick to temper, he had been better about keeping it in recent years. Hermione watched her friend as he whispered to himself over and over again to relax and think clearly; she had never seen him this emotional before.

Once Ron was sure he was calm enough to think clearly, he turned to face the dark haired woman standing behind him, a sad frown on his face.

'Look – I really appreciate that you guys care about me, and I worried, but I trust Draco. And the thing about Anabel – I haven't told you yet, because the less people who knew, the safer it would be, but – she's got someone else she loves.' Ron explained steadily; the expression on Hermione's face softened a little, reaching out for her friend's face as she gently brushed his hair aside. Ron reached his hand for hers, holding it tenderly as he stared into her brown eyes.

'I don't want to fight over this, so can you please – just give him a chance. I think you might actually grow to like him if you stop treating him like an enemy.'

'Old habits are hard to break…' She excused; Ron shook his head and laughed softly, letting go of her hand.

'I know that one.' Ron gestured towards the kitchen, offering to make some tea for them while they chatted; Hermione gave him a soft smile as she nodded her head. She sat down at the small table, while Ron went about to set the water to boil, chatting with her while waiting for the tea to finish brewing.

**-8-**

Draco leaned against the door, quietly banging his head against the surface; he was cursing himself for nearly losing his temper back there, but he just couldn't stand the way Hermione treated him. Even if it was just the tone of voice, he could clearly see that neither her nor her husband were completely trusting of him. Draco sighed as he listened to the voices on the other side of the door escalate in volume a little before he heard Ron growl loudly in frustration, then it went quiet.

He stayed against the closed surface for a few more minutes; hearing nothing else he assumed that they managed to cool themselves down and be more civil with each other. The blond let out a sigh, pushing himself away from the door and headed over to the bed; he collapsed face first on to the pillow, before curling on his side. A tender smile graced his lips at the sweet, alluring scent of lover lingering on the pillow.

_Perhaps Granger has a point – I've been putting off breaking this engagement for too long._ He thought to himself. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with Ron – he had never been more selfish about anything else in the world, or wanting anything as badly as being able to be with the redhead every single day for the rest of their lives. Draco hugged the pillow tight, his mind made up and determined; the next time he returned to his own flat, he was going to call up his father and break the engagement with Anabel and nothing the older Malfoy would say is going to convince him otherwise. With that in mind, Draco let his eyes closed lightly, slowly luring to sleep as the silence stretched on.

**-8-**

'You sure you can't stay a little longer?' Ron tempted as he held the door open for the semi-curly haired woman; Hermione only looked at him with a grin, batting at him gently.

'I really would, but I'm afraid Timaues is turning into a spoiled little mama's boy. He'll start whining if I'm not back soon.' Ron laughed, before pulling her into a friendly hug, Hermione embracing him back before giving him a light peck on the cheek.

'Maybe next time Harry has the day off, we'll all come and visit.'

'Sounds like a great idea. And – hopefully, I can encourage you two to at least give Draco a chance?' He urged; Hermione gave him a sad smile, quietly agreeing that she'd try, and that she'd talk to Harry to convince him to try as well. Ron thanked her before seeing her out the door, both saying a quick goodbye before she disappeared down the stairs. The redhead closed the front door, before glancing over to the one leading to his room; he was surprised that Draco hadn't stepped out yet.

He walked across the room to the door, gently pushing it open as he peeked his head around, softly calling out for the blond; a loving smile came to his features seeing the other man curled up on his bed, fast asleep. Ron quietly walked to the edge of the bed, carefully sitting down as he gently shook the shorter man's shoulder.

'Hey – if you sleep now, you'll never get to sleep tonight.' Draco grunted in his sleep, subconsciously batting away at the hand shaking his shoulder, before curling tighter against the pillow. Ron let out a soft sigh; the blond was surprisingly difficult to wake up once he's decided to fall asleep. A wicked grin came to the redhead's face, leaning over to gently nuzzle the other's neck; he let his hand wander under the blond's shirt, lightly biting the exposed flesh on his neck.

Draco squirmed a little, letting out a soft half moan as wondering figures caught his nipple; the blond jolted awake, turning his eyes to gaze at the redhead behind him, grinning at him slyly.

'About time you woke up, love.'

'… Picking up where we left off, are we?' Draco teased back, a grin flashing across his face as he adjusted his position so he was facing the taller man. Ron didn't answer him, capturing pout worthy rose lips with his.

**-- Chapter Seventeen --**


	18. Chapter 18

Ehhh – sorry, I know I said this would be much faster… I lied… am writing more as we speak – I promise! Dx

**Warnings:** AU (Alternate Universe); no magic is involved; may contain some minor sexual content as the story progresses.

I, in no way, own Harry Potter or any of the characters I'm about to exploit in this story. All characters, unless said otherwise, belong to J.K Rowling. She's making the money, not me…

* * *

**-- Chapter Eighteen --**

Draco paced around in a small semi circle in the living, muttering to himself over and over again the words he would force upon his father. He ran his hands shakily through his hair; he had felt determined about this the other day when he decided to finally break the engagement, but now that he was faced with actually doing it – he hated to admit, he was scared out of his mind.

'If you keep delaying any further, Master Draco, you burn a hole in the floor and fall through to the downstairs neighbors' flat.' Chanya loudly stated from the kitchen; Draco paused in his pacing, glaring through the archway leading to the next room where the dark haired woman was in. Chanya could feel the invisible daggers pale grey eyes were shooting at her back, but it didn't stop her from continuing on pressing the soft pie crust into the tin. The blond let out a sigh as he raked a hand through his hair one more time, before gathering up his nerves again; the thought of finally being able to live with Ron "forever" sparked the initiative.

He was just about to reach for the receiver to call his father, when the phone shrilled awake; Draco paused mid reach as he watched the phone ring as if it were possessed. An odd, horrible feeling sank in the pit of stomach – there shouldn't be anyone calling him. Ron was at work and wouldn't be off his shift till one o'clock this afternoon; he knew Anabel would never call him to avoid suspicion, as for friends – the only person he could think of who would _possibly_ call was overseas and out of reach.

It rang several more times as Draco merely stared it, before finally resuming picking it up and answer it.

'…H-hello?' He cursed at how unsteady his voice came out, but he couldn't help feel a slight shiver run down his spine.

'Ah good, you're home; there was no answer right away, so I was about to assume you and Chanya were out.' Draco only stared with wide eyes at the lucid voice on the other end; if he thought his father's voice was threatening in real life, hearing it over the phone was almost lethal. The blond swallowed his breathe, forcing the jostling in his stomach to settle.

'What do _you_ want? And how the hell did you get this number?' He forced a growl; the soft laugh on the other end created a lump of ice on the back of his neck.

'This may be unlisted, but I have my ways – now then, since you refuse my summons, I felt it was best if I told you myself,' Draco did not like the sound of that; he quickly interjected the older Malfoy.

'N-now wait one minute! I have something to say to you!'

'The arrangements have been settled – you and Anabel are to be married in one month's time. I can trust you'll been ready by then?' Lucius questioned strongly; Draco could only stare into the phone, his mouth hanging open slightly. He did not just hear his father say that. Several minutes of silence passed by before Draco pulled himself out of his stumper, glaring slightly at the phone.

'Now on hold! What do you mean "arrangements" have been settled?! If you think for one second I'll agree to this, you –'

'Anabel has already given her consent to this engagement; your mother and Margalita are still working out the finer details, but the important part of the marriage has been set.' Draco could only stare in disbelief. There was no way Anabel would suddenly agree to the engagement they both been working so hard to break. He just couldn't believe what his father had said was true – he had to talk to her.

'What do you _mean_ she's given her consent? If that damn woman thinks for one moment – I'll speak to her myself and see about this!'

'If you're expecting to find her at her manor, she won't be there.' Lucius answered causally; Draco froze completely. There was something in the way the older man had said that that suggested something horrible. Without thinking, Draco raised his voice at the receiver.

'What are you talking about – what did you do to her?! Where the hell is she?'

'Oh, what's this? Are you concerned for her, my son?' Draco cursed in his head at his slip up, biting down on his lower lip; Lucius chuckled softly on the other end, the sound sending an eerie shiver down the young Malfoy's back. Whatever the elder blond had done, it would definitely not be good.

'If you must know, she is well; I believe she's currently at Queen's Hospital right now. If you really are determined to oppose the marriage, then you'll have to take it up with her, since she has agreed already.' Lucius calmly stated; Draco glared nervously into the phone unable to say or utter a single word back at his father. He could plainly see that knowing smirk spread across the older man's face as he said his farewells and hung up the phone on his end, leaving Draco listening to the dead tone beeping loudly in his ear. The blond stood there for several minutes, before carefully putting the receiver back down on the base, staring at it with fearful eyes; the churning in his stomach worsened as his imagination lead him.

Chanya peeked out from the kitchen with mildly curiosity, watching the blond standing in the middle of the living room staring blankly at the phone. There was something wrong, she could tell from his manner that something had happened; a protective instinct that she had developed over him these past few years kicked in.

'Is everything all right, Master Draco?' The sound of her monotonic voice jolted Draco back to the present, not daring to glance over his shoulder at her as he replied rather shakily.

'Y-yes, I'm f-fine. Chanya, I need to-to step out for a bit; I'll be back as soon as possible.'

'Where are you going, sire?' She inquired; Draco didn't answer directly, heading over to the hallway closet door and pull out his shoes. He grabbed the keys to his car and his pair of keys to the flat, before opening the door and walked out, not once glancing back to the dark haired woman staring after him with concerning dark eyes. Chanya only stood in the archway as an unfamiliar feeling rose in her chest; something was definitely wrong and she silently prayed that whatever it was would not hurt either him or Ron Weasley in the end. Letting out a soft sigh, she turned back to the kitchen and continued pouring the sweet, berry filling into the curst filled tin; perhaps it would be bad timing, but she hoped that a simple pie for later would help make the fair haired man feel better if whatever news he had received was not extremely terrible.

**-8-**

Ron sat at the counter space as he watched the entrance of the shop with slight impatience; he tapped his fingers idly on the surface watching as people passed by the shop, a few occasionally peeking their eyes in through the window when something caught their interest before moving on. The morning shift was usually the slowest time during the day, and Ron was usually off work around the time when the crowds would just be coming in. He sighed and sat back against the chair, causally glancing at the three or four other customers looking around, the other employees showing them around and explaining the quality of their choices.

Ron glanced at his watch, groaning silently to himself as the second hand seem to crawl towards the twelve o'clock position; he still had another hour before his shift was over but he couldn't wait to get out of work to see a certain fair-skinned lover of his. The redhead giggled unexpectedly to himself; he had to wonder since when did he become so bubbly over something as simple as spending the afternoon with Draco. He hadn't noticed it at first, but ever since he had been pointed out to not only by Draco, but by his own mother and his best friend, Hermione, that he found the littlest things affected his moods. Whenever his thoughts turned to Draco, he couldn't help but feel giddy like a love-struck teenage girl, or suddenly turn sullen whenever he thought about having a family. Ron sighed softly to himself as he tilted his gaze to the floor; perhaps he should consider seeing a doctor – or would he be better off with a physiatrist, he couldn't really tell.

A low rumble in his stomach pulled him from his thoughts, reminding him another reason why he was slightly impatient with time right now. Despite having lunch only a short awhile ago, he suddenly felt an on-coming craving creeping up on him. He wasn't sure the reason for it, since he was fairly certain he ate enough for lunch; a slight blush spread across his nose as another soft rumble rose. He was glad he was sitting behind the counter where no one could him, and for the very few customers in the shop at the moment. He glanced back to the front of the store, resuming with his tapping till he spotted a familiar dark-haired man walking by the window, stepping in through the door.

'Took you long enough.' Ron complained lightly once the other man was standing next to the counter, handing him a small bag of what appeared to be dried fruit. The other man only shook his head, pulling back mid-brown hair from his face.

'You had me walk all the way to the mart five blocks from here – course it would've taken me a while.' The redhead only laughed as he tore open the bag, reaching in to grab a piece and took bite out of the dried fruit. He had gotten taller late in his years, but Ron still towered over him if only by a few inches; the round face he had been use to seeing thinned out and became longer, giving the other man an almost oval shape.

'You owe me for that trip, you know. And I didn't think you were one for dried fruit anyways.' Ron continued munching, shrugging his shoulders up at the dark-haired man.

'Neither did I, honestly; but I just got the strangest craving. Thanks though, Neville – you're a life saver. Don't think I could've lasted the next hour.' Neville only smiled at him, waving a hand causally as he welcomed him. Ron returned the smile; even though Neville had long gotten past it, the redhead still couldn't help but feel guilty at what he almost did to the other man years ago when he had been fighting with his emotions about Draco before they started seriously dating. He had been surprised that the brunet still even talked to him after meeting again two years after that incident.

'So – you gonna show me around and give me some advice?' Neville half teased, jerking thumb to the furniture displayed behind him; Ron laughed a little, before standing up to his feet, still nipping away at the snack in his hand.

'So what's the occasion?'

'Moved to a different flat recently – wasn't really working out with my previous landlord, so I decided it was time for a bit of a change.'

'Ah is that so. I take it, the new place is still empty?'

'Apparently I'm the first tenant to live there, so I want to get my furniture before Gran decides that for me.' Neville stated wearily; Ron couldn't help but snicker at the comment, feeling the other man nudge him on the arm. Neville had lost his parents at early age and he been raised by his overbearing, over protective grandmother; one would have expected him to tire of that attitude in his teens and rebel against her, but he had never been one to break the boundaries and over step his limits till after he had graduated from high school. Ron had the slightest suspicious that it was partly his fault that encouraged the other man to start being more defensive, but he felt it had done him some good in the end.

'Well there's a good variety of stuff here; even though it's small, there's a pretty good selection.'

'And you've worked here for how long now?' Neville joked, now it was Ron's turn to nudge him on the arm, giving him a good whack to go with it as the other man faked a wince. Before they had a chance to continue on with the browsing, a familiar voice from behind them got Ron's attention, turning his head to face the woman standing behind him.

'Oh! Hello Ron – I didn't expect to see you here today.'

'Hey Luna, didn't expect to see you here too.' Luna smiled dreamily at him, before looking curiously to Neville standing next to him; Ron quickly finished up the piece in his mouth, swallowing it before holding a hand up.

'Ah, Luna – this is Neville, a friend of mine. Neville, this is my next door neighbor, Luna Lovegood.' Neville jolted a little, before putting on a sheepishly smile, holding his hand to her; Luna smiled at him, shaking his hand.

'It's-it's nice to meet you, Luna.'

'Pleasure is all mine.' Neville flushed a little as his smile widened, Ron eyeing him rather curiously before turning his attention to the blond woman.

'So – what brings you here? Thought you already finished your furniture shopping?'

'Oh, it's not for me – it's for Darren, my boyfriend,' Ron silently snickered as Neville's face dropped at the mentions of a "boyfriend". He knew that his friend had strange taste in women, but he didn't think Luna would be his type.

'He recently moved into a new place, and – oh Darren, come here. They won't bite.' Luna reached out for the man standing a few feet away from them, bringing him closer as she held his arm, leaning her head against his shoulder lovingly. Darren scratched the back of his head, giving them a nervous greeting. He was a good foot taller then Luna, with semi dark skin and bleached blond hair that fell in front of his face, covering round, black eyes. Ron paused mid bite as he stared up at Darren – Luna had good taste in men, he concluded.

'He saw the vase you gave me, and he liked it. Since you told me it came from the shop you worked at, we were hoping you had more stuff like that.' Luna explained, seeing as her boyfriend was too shy to say what he was looking for himself; Ron covered up his chuckle with a piece of fruit, turning to Neville and asking if it was all right if he tended to them first. Neville waved a causal hand, saying it was all right and that he could just browse for the time being. With that done, Ron escorted the couple over to another part of the store, showing Darren the more odd and modernist section that was similar to the vase he gave Luna.

The fair haired man nodded in small thanks, before going over to browse through the displays; Ron let him be, figuring it would be easier on the man since he was so shy. Luna stood next to Ron as she watched her boyfriend pick up varies things and examine them.

'So – where'd you two meet? Last I heard, you were still single.'

'We met at a poet café I frequent; he was trying to overcome his shyness and tried to recite on stage.'

'Really? Wow – that must've went badly.' Much to his surprise, Luna giggled softly, putting a hand over her mouth.

'Certainly did; he ended up tripping on the wires and fell right onto the table I was sitting at. I like to be close to the poets, so I tend to sit near the stage most often.' A soft, dream-like expression came to the unearthly face, as mystic grey eyes gazed at the light haired man tapping at odd sorts of deco and furniture. Ron only sighed, shaking his head as he bite into another piece of dried fruit; of course Luna would go for the more withdrawn types, but perhaps her eccentric nature was what was needed to bring them out of their shell.

A soft sigh escaped the younger woman, before she turned her wide eyes to the redhead standing next to her, Ron glancing at her curiously.

'How are things between you and Draco working out?'

'The way it's been lately – we're practically living together already. Only thing we're missing are rings and wedding bells.' Ron laughed at his own tease, Luna lightly nudging her hip against his as she grinned up at him.

'I expect he is breaking up with Ms Calabrese then?'

'He said he was gonna do it soon; why? Any strange rumors you've heard?'

'Oh plenty – like, they're not really engaged and it's nothing more then a gossip feed, or – they're engaged and probably already secretly married to avoid press, and – they're engagement is falling apart, and it's predicted they'll divorce shortly after marriage, and onwards.' Luna listed off, lightly tapping the side of her chin as she spoke; Ron held a hand up to show he heard enough, laughing slightly at the list of rumors she had picked up. He gazed down at the ground with a soft smile – at least there hadn't been any rumors of Draco or Anabel having a secret lover behind the world's back, so it was safe to assume that no one has caught them. Ron wondered if he and Draco would have to wait a while after the break up before officially moving in together – least till the press had calmed down over the disengagement of the young Malfoy heir and the Calabrese heiress.

Luna peeked at him curiously, holding up a questioning hand reaching for the snack bag in his hand, silently asking for a piece; Ron instinctively held it protectively, giving her a slight a glare. She looked at him slightly surprised, before a knowing grin came to her face; Ron blushed slightly, embarrassed by his own behavior before holding the bag out to her, a sheepish grin on his face. Luna only laughed, shaking her head as she refused the offer, saying she was only joking.

**-- Chapter Eighteen --**

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Heh – you just gotta love Luna 3

Something bad happened… and we shall find out… next chapter (was gonna put it in this chapter, but I then that'll make it too long…)


	19. Chapter 19

I'm bad, I know – this chapter is inexcusable short, but I had planned this part to originally be part of chapter eighteen… oh well…

**Warnings:** AU (Alternate Universe); no magic is involved; may contain some minor sexual content as the story progresses.

I, in no way, own Harry Potter or any of the characters I'm about to exploit in this story. All characters, unless said otherwise, belong to J.K Rowling. She's making the money, not me…

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**-- Chapter Nineteen --**

The hallway outside was surprisingly quiet, and perhaps it was this silence that seemed to make the high pitched beeping sounds of the monitors even more painful to his ears. The white washed walls seemed drowned in dim shadows as the curtains of the windows had been drawn, not allowing even a shed of light to shine through; he was reminded again why he hated hospitals so much.

Draco could only gaze blankly at the young woman sitting on the stool a few feet in front of him, face buried in her hands as her weeping soon over powered the monitors steady sounds. He only needed to do everything but guess who was lying on that bed in front of her, a seemingly endless string of wires, cables and whatever else hooked up to them.

'I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…' Anabel managed out in a broken voice, unable to stop the tears streaming down her face; Draco swallowed his breathe as he slowly took a step forward to get a better view behind the slightly drawn curtain around the bed. He came up to her side, glancing apprehensively at the figure lying in the bed; he put a hand over his mouth to stop the gasp from escaping him, feeling his stomach perform a one-eighty flip.

If he hadn't known better, he would never have recognized the mummified figure as Jason; there was hardly an inch left of his skin that wasn't wrapped, treated or uninjured in any way. A sickening feeling settled in his gut – he recognized this style all too well; even if he had only seen it once, it had been enough to etch the image permanently into his mind.

'He – he did this…' Anabel choked out, grinding her teeth as she tried to slow her tears enough so she could speak.

'… Lucius… he did this to-to him… I'm sorry, Draco, but he – I was alone, and he had his hand on the button, I couldn't … I couldn't say no…' Anabel cried harder as she buried her face into her hands, not caring if she dirtied her glasses or stained them with her tears.

'He … he threatened to kill him if-if I didn't agree… Draco … I – I'm sorry…I…' She couldn't speak anymore, choking on her words as the tears stung her eyes. Draco couldn't say anything; he turned his eyes away from them, feeling if he kept looking any longer, he couldn't keep himself from getting sick. It was not the state at which Jason was in that made him sick to his stomach – it was the fact he had blood relations to the man that did this to him. Draco bit back the small vomit in his mouth, quickly pacing out of the room to get away from the noise, and the smell, the feeling worsening as the hard slap of reality hit him – they found out about Jason and Anabel.

Draco stopped in his path, staring down at the white tiles with wide, frightful eyes – their parents had found out about Jason and Anabel's affair and as expected of his father, responded with near death. He placed a hand over his mouth once more as he slowly began to realise just what kind of power Lucius Malfoy held in the palm of his hand – and just what exactly that power could do if anyone ever found out about him and Ron. The blond bit down on his tongue – how could've he been so selfish; Ron had every right to be anxious and nervous about being found out, if his _father_ ever found out. He glanced back down the hall over his shoulder, clearly seeing in his mind Jason lying mummified and only barely alive, but it wasn't his face he was imagining under those wraps – no, not even. Draco found himself staring down at a trench in the soiled ground.

He felt his knees give way, leaning against the wall next to him for support; he knew for a solid fact that the older Malfoy would not even blink once to put a bullet through Ron's head. Draco pounded a fist against the wall as he cursed outloud – he couldn't put Ron in that kind of danger; he didn't think he could ever live with himself knowing that just because of whom he was, costed the redhead his life.

_Fuck!_ He slid down to the floor, unable to keep himself standing any longer as he buried his face into his palm. If he wanted to keep Ron safe – he would have to break his heart.

**-8-**

Chanya picked up the plate the redhead handed to her, giving him a slight nod as he thanked her. As expected, once Ron's shift at work was over, he came over immediately to the flat without question or pause; it had become part of the daily routine for Chanya to have the man over at odd hours of the day, and since Draco had given him a key to the flat, it certainly made it easier for Ron to let himself in when the blond was not around.

'Would you like another piece, Mr Weasley?' Chanya asked him; she had offered him a bit of the pie she had finished baking not too long ago while he was waiting for his fair-haired lover to return from wherever he went. Ron held up a hand, shaking his head.

'Ah, thanks Chanya, but if I keep it up, I'll spoil my dinner. That was really good, by the way.' Chanya felt the corners of her mouth twitch in slight amusement; having devoured more than half of the tin, she would hope he had enjoyed it. The sounds of a key being inserted into the door caught their attention, the front door easing open inwardly as Draco stepped into the flat.

'Welcome back, Master Draco.' Chanya greeted him automatically; Draco only hummed in response and almost instantly an alert set off in the older woman's mind. Whatever had been bothering her earlier had come back, and it was even stronger than before; there was definitely no doubt that something was wrong.

Ron gave the blond a soft smile, before it turned into concern, also sensing that something seemed off with the other man. Ron stood up to his feet as Draco approached him, bright blue eyes gazing at his lover with worry.

'Hey – is everything all right, love?' Draco didn't look at him, nodding his head as he spoke softly.

'It's fine…' Ron glanced at him suspiciously, suppressing the tempting flip his stomach wanted to make as he reached a hand out for the other's face.

'No, it's not all right. What's wrong, Draco?' he asked tenderly; Draco gently bat away the hand reaching for his face, not once glancing up from the floor as he remained silent for several minutes. Ron simply stood there and waited till the other man was ready to talk, lightly tapping his foot on the floor. Chanya lingered in the room, the plate still in her hand; she should've been in the kitchen by now and washing it, but this curious unknown feeling in her was making her stay where she was.

'… I – I'm going to have to ask you to return the key I gave you, Ron.' He finally spoke; Ron looked at him slightly surprised and confused, before the thought struck him, giving the blond a nervous glance.

'Oh – I get it; you want to avoid us being pegged by the media, right? I mean – it will probably be bad press if we're seen together so soon, and –' He stopped as he gazed steadily at the blond standing in front of him; Draco had not once lifted his eyes to face him. Ron put his hands over his stomach, trying to settle the sudden wave of nausea threatening to over take him.

'But… why do you need the key back? If we just need to avoid each other for a while…'

'I need it back, because … I don't want you coming here anymore.' Draco explained calmly; starling blue eyes went wide in shock, forcing back the sickness that was impeding its way up. Ron took a few minutes to make sure he could speak without throwing up and making a mess of himself, staring at the shorter man confused.

'Wha-what do you mean? I thought – but what about – you broke up with Anabel, didn't you? Right? Didn't you…' His voice trailed off as pale grey eyes finally lifted their gaze to him; the blond's face was completely unreadable, his eyes looked even duller then usually and not showing a hint of emotion to them.

'Anabel is not the one I'm breaking up with… it's you, Ron.'

**-- Chapter Nineteen --**

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More to come soon… That's all I can say :(


	20. Chapter 20

Yay – final chapter… kinda – there is one more little thing after this, but this is pretty much the end of "Come What Be". Thank you all so much for reading it (which unfortunately I can't really tell if it _**is**_ being read, since consistently only one-two people have reviewed… oh well, what can a writer do…)

**Warnings:** AU (Alternate Universe); no magic is involved; does not contain sexual content, but you may want a tissue? Maybe…

I, in no way, own Harry Potter or any of the characters I'm about to exploit in this story. All characters, unless said otherwise, belong to J.K Rowling. She's making the money, not me…

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**-- Chapter Twenty --**

The whole building could've collapsed at the moment, and he wouldn't have noticed a thing; he barely even registered the sound of porcelain shattering against the floor as Chanya dropped the plate she was holding. Ron stared at the man in front of him with wide eyes – he did not just hear that; Draco was breaking up with him? The blond didn't say anything as he gazed at him steadily, his face not showing a hint of emotions behind them.

'…you're…? Wha-what is this? Some sort of crude joke?!' Ron finally managed out, unable to keep the hurt and anger out of his voice. Draco didn't face him, averting his gaze slightly off to the side as he held his hand out.

'Anabel and I will be married in one month; please return the key and don't ever bother me again.' Ron gritted his teeth, glaring at the other man in front of him. He shoved a hand into his pocket and pulled out the single, silver key Draco had given to him; Draco held his hand out expectantly, but Ron tossed it roughly to the floor by his feet. He watched it bounce a little, the expression on the pointed face not wavering for even a split second.

'At least answer me this – why?' He asked, amazed and yet angry at how steady and calm his voice came out, despite the cracks he knew were slowly appearing on his heart.

_Because I love you…_

'Because… it's more beneficial to me to marry Anabel.' _No – what am I saying…_

He grimaced inwardly at the expression that flashed across the redhead's face; Ron felt his hands shaking, forcing back the tears and nausea threatening to push their way through.

'_Beneficial_?! Is that how you see it? Our relationship was –'

'Her family owns one of the largest trading exchanges in the country, anyone could plainly see how this is more convenient to my current family status.'

'DON'T FUCKING FOOL AROUND WITH ME!' Ron yelled out, reaching out to grab the other man forcefully by the collar; Draco didn't flinch as the taller man pulled him forward, staring at him with blank grey eyes.

'Tell me the truth Draco! That can't be the reason why you're doing this – "status"? Since when the fuck did you care about that?!'

'There is nothing more to tell you – it's as I've just said,' what was wrong with him – why couldn't he tell Ron the truth. '…It's just more convenient if I marry Anabel.'

Ron could stare at him with a hurtful expression on his face, his bright blue eyes wide with anger. He released one hand from the blond's shirt, holding it up in the air with the notion that he was going to punch him across the face; Draco didn't move – he would take whatever hit the redhead would dealt him. The hit never came – Ron relaxed his fist, dropping his gaze to the floor letting his remaining hand slide away from his shirt. Without another word or glance, Ron pushed past him towards the door, absent-mindedly pulling his shoes on as he fumbled with the door handle and walked out of the flat, taking absolute care to slam the door as hard as he could when he left.

Draco listened as he could just barely hear the tears that the other man had been suppressing through the thin surface, before the redhead ran off. He felt as if his heart had been chained and weighed down, making his chest feel unbearably tight and suffocated. Numbly, he reached down for the key Ron had thrown at his feet, staring at it with blank eyes; he closed his fingers around the simple object, forcing back the heavy sigh that was threatening to escape him.

Draco snapped his attention to the woman still standing where she was, slightly startled by the expression he saw on her face. Chanya hadn't moved at all since letting the plate slip from her hands; her dark eyes were round and wide with shock and disbelief, and showing the most emotion Draco had never seen before.

'… Chanya – clean it up. We have a long month ahead of us, and a lot of preparation to do.' Draco mentally cursed at himself for commanding her like that – but there was just something he had to try; he had never once seen the woman with so much life on her face. He had been trying for years to undo the damage his father had done to her, and while he had little success, he had begun to think that she could never be saved completely.

'Chanya…' Chanya snapped her head up, the sound of the blond's voice finally seemed to register in her mind as she stared at his back.

'We have a lot of things to do, Chanya – so hurry up and clean that mess.' He repeated; the woman could only stare at him, before glancing down at the shattered pieces of pottery lying on the floor. Every fiber of her mind was telling her to bend down and sweep up the pieces, but her body just didn't seem to want to obey her; she should've cleaned it up ages ago, she should've went to the closet where the cleaning tools are, and gotten out a dust ban and brush to sweep it up and throw away, she should've – but she couldn't. Chanya felt her hands shaking; what was this feeling raising in her arguing against everything she's been taught.

'…Chanya – now!'

'…nh…' Draco froze at the small noise, glancing carefully over his shoulder; there were only two possible results for this – she would either finally be broken from the curse his father had inflicted upon her and gain her heart back, or she would have a relapse and fall back into the very mind set that man had accursed upon her. Draco hoped for the former, knowing that if Chanya did not rebel, the relationship between them would never be the same again.

'What did you say?' He asked slowly when the dark-haired woman went quiet; her hands were shaking violently.

'…n-n-no… no, no, no, no, no, no, no, NO!' Tears began streaming freely down her sun-kissed skin as she repeated that single over and over like a mantra or a prayer; her hands found their way to the sides of her head, covering her ears as if she was trying to block out the sound of her own voice. Years and years of suppression swelled in her chest as the anger, hatred and bitterness overwhelmed her, unable to stop herself from crying as the word slowly faded from her lips. Draco closed his eyes as he let out a silent sigh – Chanya was finally free.

'W-why…?' The simple question took him by surprise; Draco looked back at her, suddenly seeing the face of the small, timid scared little girl that had arrived home one day with his father. Fading grey eyes gazed at sympathetically, before turning away from her.

'Chanya, I – I had to protect him; he can't stay with me, Chanya. If – if anyone found about us – about him, he'd…' The crying woman could only shake her head in disbelief.

'You w-were happy with h-him – wasn't b-being together e-everything you w-wanted?'

'He found about Jason and Anabel – my father…' Draco explained what had happened to Jason, how right now the gardener was tempting the lines between life and death and fighting to survive with nothing but machines to even keep him breathing. Her expression did not change from the shock etched permanently on her face, still shaking her head.

'What happened to the man who said he'd throw away his family name for the one he loved?'

'Chanya – I didn't just do this for Jason's sake, I did it for Ron! You of all people should know what my father is like; what he did to Jason was _merciful_! He wouldn't even think once about putting a bullet through Ron's head!' She still couldn't believe him, still shaking her head as the tears continued to flow on their own, nothing but confusion and frustration rising in her chest. Draco turned his back to her, not wanting to face her eyes silently accusing him – whether she was aware of it or not.

The silence stretched on between them for what felt like an eternity, before Chanya slowly and hesitantly moved her feet; Draco listened as her bare feet passed by him but it wasn't her room or his she was heading to – she walked straight to the front door, turning the handle with much more ease then Ron had earlier on, shutting the door with an eerie silence as she left the flat.

Draco bit down on his lip as he listened to the lock click softly in place, the sudden silence of the room made him realise just how empty this place had been when he first started living here. She was not coming back – she did not grab a spare set of keys; he stared down at the key in his hand as another realisation hit him – Ron was never coming back either.

The key clinked softly on the polished wooden floor as Draco let it slip from his hand, heading over to the door leading to his bedroom. This place had invaded by an inviting warmth, and calm serenity now seemed harsh and cold, but he did not shed a tear; he sank down on to the bed, letting a hand brush over the side where he had gotten use to the feeling of the warm body next to him in the mornings, but again he didn't feel the need to shed a tear. As he laid his head down upon his pillow, he could still smell the lingering scent of his now ex-lover mingling in the material; Draco buried his face into the soft cushion as he closed his eyes tight – the tears finally finding their way through his eyes as it finally hit him that the two very best people he had ever had the pleasure of knowing were gone from his life forever.

**-8-**

Harry grimaced as he listened to his best mate getting sick in the bathroom; he let a sigh knocking his head lightly against the wall behind him. He knew this would've happened. The sudden thud noise drew him from his thoughts, carefully peeking in to see Ron slumped back against the bathroom counter, face buried in his hands. Harry only looked at him with a sad gaze, before slowly going over to his friend.

'Hey – come on, let's get you cleaned up.' He helped Ron stand up to his feet, leaning him against the skin as he helped rinsed his mouth of acids, trying to wash away the tears that were streaming down the freckled face. Ron took a few minutes to regain himself, but he just couldn't stop the tears from coming as he hiccupped slightly.

'I t-thought – I b-believed in him…'

'Hey, don't think about it. Come on, you should lie down.' Harry took him carefully around the shoulder, slowly half-walking, half-dragging him out of the bathroom and towards the living room. Hermione gestured towards the sofa, having arranged the cushions to allow the redhead a space to lie down; the dark-haired man set him down gently on the sofa, firmly pressing him to lie down on his back. Hermione pulled up a foot rest to sit close by him, tenderly running a hand through flaming red locks as she tried to sooth her friend.

'I thought – I thought he l-loved me…'

'Oh Ron, we know – shhh, come now, try to rest. It's been rough for you.' Watery blue eyes only gazed at her, the curly hair woman reaching out to gently wipe away his tears with her thumb. She was just grateful that Timaues was taking his afternoon nap right now, so she wouldn't have to deal with her son right away; as much as she loved her son, her best friend needed her more, and Timaues was too young to understand the difference in priorities.

'Harry, could you be a dear and get me a wet cloth please?' she asked him softly; Harry nodded his head before wandering off back to the bathroom to soak a small hand towel at his wife's request. Hermione leaned forward a little as she began to hum softly to the redhead, trying to sooth the tears to stop and lull him to sleep. Harry reappeared a few minutes later with a damp cloth, the woman thanking him as he handed it to her; she began wiping down Ron's forehead, occasionally wiping gently at his tears as they began to slow as he drifted off to sleep. A sigh escaped her as Hermione continued to stare at her best friend; she should've known better. After tirelessly arguing with Harry about trying to give Draco a chance and finally getting him to agree with her, the blond went ahead and broke their friend's heart. Hermione felt a hand on her shoulder, reaching a hand for it as she stared up at the owner; emerald green eyes were filled with anger at seeing their friend once again trampled and thrown aside by another thoughtless, selfish "boyfriend". She knew Harry wanted to do nothing more then go over to Malfoy and punch his lights out, and as much as she wanted to do the same, there was nothing they could do against someone like him.

'Harry, could you please call Dr. Talbot for me and ask to set up an appointment as soon as possible? Tomorrow at latest.' Hermione requested in a light whisper; Harry look at his wife slightly confused, gently squeezing her shoulder.

'You and Timaues saw him just last week; why do you –'

'Oh it's not for me, dear, it's for Ron,' she interrupted. Harry looked at her rather strangely. 'I just want to make sure he's all right.'

He looked at her suspiciously, before hesitantly nodding his head and went off to find the phone. Hermione silently thanked him, before turning back to the redhead finally sleeping soundly as she wiped down his forehead. She had a feeling – and a rather crazy one at that – that forgetting the blond man was going to be harder then expected. A tender hand brushed aside long, red locks from the sleeping face, leaning in to place a gentle kiss on Ron's forehead as she whispered softly against his skin.

'Don't worry Ron, I promise – we won't let _any_one ever hurt you again.'

**-8-**

The unpredictable, yet amazingly predictable England weather brought about a heavy rain, many pulling out their umbrellas and continued uninterrupted on their way with the daily routine. Many faces passed by without notice or without care for the young woman seeking shelter under the small awning, her face buried in her knees hugged tight to her chest. Her dark black was soaked from the rain she had been caught in earlier, her subconscious mind grateful that she was wearing dark coloured clothing so that it did not become see through when wet. Large, dark eyes had tears streaming down her face, mingling with the rain drops that had dripped against her sunny yellow skin before she managed to take shelter under this small, seemingly useless awning. She should've thought better before running out of the apartment like that, but at the time, she wasn't really thinking – all she knew was she couldn't stay there any longer.

'Excuse me miss – are you all right?' She jerked her head up to the stranger standing in front of him, holding the umbrella out over her head. He was broad, stocky looking man, with shaggy brown hair and almond shaped brown eyes; his face was very angular, his lips drawn up in genuine concern as he gazed down at her. The dark haired woman gazed at him confused, biting down on her lower lip.

'I – I don't know…' She answered him timidly. 'I – I'm so confused; I don't understand why I feel like this – what these emotions are, I… I don't know anymore…' The man looked at her sympathetically, holding an inviting hand out to her; she stared at it strangely, wondering why of all the strangers walking past her would this man stop to ask if she was all right.

'Well, I'm not sure if I can help, but – maybe if you need someone to talk to about it, I've been told I'm a very good listener.'

'… how do I know I can trust you?' She asked without thinking; he made a slight sound of acknowledgement, drawing his hand back slightly as he gazed at her in agreement.

'Ah well – I guess you can't, really.' Dark eyes gazed between his face and the hand stretched out to her as she tried to wipe away the tears; a familiar feeling of warmth and longing filled her as this man's simple act of noticing her brought forth memories she thought she had long buried in her heart. Hesitant and scared, she reached her hand out for his, feeling him gently close his fingers around hers as he helped the woman stand up to her feet.

'Come on, let's warm you up with some nice hot tea – or perhaps you prefer coffee?'

'T-tea is fine…'

'By the way, my name is Roberto Macias.' Roberto introduced, smiling at her gently as he held the umbrella up for both of them. The dark haired woman only gazed at him blankly, before staring out to the street.

'…C-Chanya…'

'Chanya…?'

'Just Chanya – I don't – have a last name.' She replied hesitantly; Roberto looked at her slightly surprised, before shrugging his shoulders as he directed her towards a café just a few blocks down from them.

'Well, perhaps after we hear your story we can fix that, shall we?' Chanya managed a bitter smile at him, feeling the tears try to push through their walls again.

'I'm afraid it's a very long story.' Light brown eyes only gazed at her warmly, giving her a gently smile.

'Don't worry – I have a lot of free time on my hands.'

**-- Chapter Twenty --**

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And it's only partly done… there is one more bit after this, but overall this story is finished. Thank you again for reading and taking time out of your busy schedules to read this.


	21. Epilogue

Okay – now "Come What Be" is official over! Pop open streamers and what not… anyways, thank you to all who have read and reviewed – it is all much appreciated as I am still new to the world of writing Harry Potter fanfiction! :)

I know this kinda a bad way to end this, but this is how I had planned it from the start – who knows, maybe this timeline will appear again in the future. No promises though…

**Warnings:** AU (Alternate Universe); no magic is involved

I, in no way, own Harry Potter or any of the characters I'm about to exploit in this story. All characters, unless said otherwise, belong to J.K Rowling. She's making the money, not me…

* * *

**-- Epilogue --**

The dresser fiddled with the veil, fluffing it as it were a delicate arrangement trying to find the perfect angle, the perfect flow and the perfect position to fit on the delicate, round face it was crowning. Finally pleased with the results, she stopped playing with it, grinning proudly at the young woman standing in front of the mirror, gazing at her reflection. Anabel quietly thanked her, although she did not see how it was any different then from what she had done before. Satisfied with the results of her work, the fussy designer walked about the room, gathering up her materials and stalked out of the bride's room.

Anabel barely registered her leave as she stared sadly at her reflection in the mirror; she could barely recognise herself. The dress was far too decorative and frilly, the skirt of the dress with far too many layers then she could count and a train that had to be at least seven feet long. Her makeup felt heavy and her hair was over curled and filtered with hair spray. The contacts in her eyes were irritating her, but she could not rub at them, fearing she would smear the maximum mascara that made her eye lashes seem unnaturally long.

She gazed at the woman in the mirror, closing her mind's eye to it as a different image began to over take it; she was not standing in this reserved room for the bride, wearing only the best designed dress her mother could have custom made – she found herself standing on a shore, wearing but a simple white summer dress. For a veil, she replaced the mass of waves with a small ring of white flowers she had threaded together herself; the shoes on her feet were not ten inches high and painfully tight, but simple strap sandals. She gazed up lovingly at the man standing in front of her, his sandy brown hair messy and unkempt as always, grinning down at her. He was dressed in a simple semi formal top with light khaki pants, wearing nothing more then simple flip-flops on his feet. She could imagine Jason's father wearing something similar, but of different colour and at least proper shoes, a proud grin on his aging face. She couldn't help but laugh slightly as she held Jason's hands, knowing that Draco of course would come in his best formal, no matter what the location or the weather was like; Ron she imagined would try to dress nice, but not nearly as formal as his boyfriend, standing with their arms encircling the other's waist, smiling and giving them their best wishes.

A knock on the door jolted Anabel away from this image, bringing her back to the woman staring sadly back at her as that simple wedding slowly began to disappear from her mind. Margalita peeked her head through, dressed in nothing but her best formal, the silkiest, smoothest fur shawl around her shoulders and her skin drowned in the strongest perfume she owned.

'Come now dear – mustn't keep your husband-to-be waiting.' She tittered excitedly; Anabel turned to gaze at her with a vacant expression on her face, her mother coming up to her side and looping her arm with her daughter's. A sigh escaped the young woman as she gave one last look back to the mirror, seeing the girl in the simple white dress wave sadly to her as she now stood alone on the shore.

Margalita led her out of the bride's room, taking her through the small passage along side the church, hearing the ear-splitting keys of the organ resonated through the large hall. They walked along the back of the pews, stopping just infront of the center leading up to the altar; the keys changed pitched as a different tune began to play, many of the guests turning their heads to watch the bride by lead down by her mother. Margalita puffed her chest out proudly as she walked Anabel down the aisle, feeling her grin widened at the silent whispers of admiration and jealousy at her daughter's beauty.

'Smile dear! This is a special moment for you.' The socialite whispered through her teeth, not once dropping the grin from her face as she acknowledged her associates with a slight nod as she passed by them. Anabel did not feel like smiling.

Draco stared at the ground in front of him; he couldn't even bare to watch Anabel walk down the aisle, knowing that they were both throwing away their freedom and happiness for the sake of the ones they loved. However, he also did not want to face the audience watching them, knowing that there were two particular guests who were glaring at him accusingly. He had been surprised his mother invited those two and even more surprised that they came; Pansy Parkinson was dressed in a scarlet red dress, her brown hair cut short and curled around her chin as she sat with her arms crossed, her expression far from displeased. He had broken her heart when he confessed that he preferred men, but despite so, she overcame it and still remained his friend and while she had showed disgust when he started dating Ron, she was even far more disgusted with what he was doing now. As for the other guest – it was none other than Blaise Zabini, dressed in the typical black tie suit that was frequent of weddings. His hair had gotten longer since the last time Draco had seen him and it seemed to enhance his dark, earthly beauty even more, but the glare set on his face was menacing.

Draco knew he was going to get an earful from both of them, and probably a good slap from Pansy, but he would accept it all. There was nothing left he wouldn't accept as punishment for what he did to Ron.

Anabel and her mother soon reached the altar, the young woman taking her place infront of the blond, as Margalita stood off the side near her daughter. Lucius and Narcissa were standing aside of their son, the most joyous smile on the marchioness face that her son would finally be wed. The priest cleared his throat as a signal to the organist to stop playing before he went on with the ceremony.

'Dearly beloved – we have gathered here today to witness under the eyes of God the union of two of his children…' The rest seem to pass over their heads, as Draco stared sadly at Anabel, whose doe brown eyes were staring blankly at the floor at his feet. Jason's condition had finally improved in this last month, but he was still on support as he couldn't breath on his own yet. Jackal Hart, his father was given temporary leave of work in order to be with his son for as long as he could, in case – Draco deterred his thoughts away from there. If his father had intended for Jason to be dead, he wouldn't have found Anabel at a hospital to begin with. They both snapped to attention as they felt their parents nudge them close to the vows.

'… under the protection of the Father all Mighty – do you, Draco Malfoy, take Anabel Calabrese to be your beloved wife, whom you shall cherish and protect until death do you part?'

'… I do…'

'And do you, Anabel Calabrese, take Draco Malfoy to be your beloved husband, whom you shall cherish and protect until death do you part?'

'… I…' Margalita held her breath as Anabel hesitated with her answer; the young woman looked past the man was about to marry, seeing a dangerous grin come to the face of who would soon be her father-in-law. She ducked her head down in defeat, closing her eyes tight against the tears threatening to force their way through.

'I d-do.'

'By the power invested in me, by the grace of the Lord – I pronounce thee husband and wife.' The priest did not say it, but they both knew it had to be done anyways; Draco reached his hands out hesitantly for Anabel's face, gently cupping it as he brought her gaze to face him. He leaned in carefully, covering his hands over the mouths as he hovered an inch away from her.

'Anabel – I'm so sorry.' He whispered softly to her; small tears escaped large brown eyes as they faked the kiss, Draco pulling away as the music began playing again. The guests stood up to their feet, Anabel taking Draco by the arm he held out to her and began walking her down the aisle towards the doors leading outside. Despite the smiles and small applauses around them, neither felt like celebrating as every step they took seemed even more unbearable then the last. The bouquet of flowers slipped slowly from Anabel's hand as she let it drop to the floor; it was perhaps one of the most expensive and more beautiful things that adorned her, the white petals were fresh in bloom, but in her eyes the leaves have already wilted and died.

As they stepped out into the bright sun, a large, black limo was waiting by the road to take them to their reception party. They parents had rented an exclusive front of a club near the water front, and no doubt they might have to pose on a yacht for the media just to show their status. Draco led her to the door of the vehicle, helping Anabel in as her dress was impeding even that simplest task before climbing in after her, a driver shutting it tight behind him.

The guests had begun filing out of the church and piled into their expected rides to where the reception would take place. The blond glanced over to where the young woman was sitting, gazing bitterly at the golden band resting on her finger. Draco looked down at his own ring before curling his hand into a fist as he leaned forward on his knees.

The entire car ride had been completely silent till the driver finally pulled up to the club, cutting off the engine as he quickly jumped out of the limo and ran to the doors to open it for the newly-wed couple. Draco took a few minutes to compose himself, knowing he'd have to face a few unpleasant conversations from the guests (and the expected scolding from Blaise and Pansy); he looked to Anabel sympathetically, the young woman assuring him she would be all right for the time being. He only gazed at her blankly, before sighing and stepped out of the limo, holding a hand out to help her out of the vehicle, hearing a roar of cheers and applauses as the guests greeted them. As expected, the driver took the couple the long way to allow time for the guests to arrive at the reception first.

They both took in a deep breath before hastily walking towards the center of attention, serving the cake and of course pausing for a picture as they cut the first piece together, the first dance was photographed and then the rest of the time was spent mingling and talking with the guests. Anabel had an easier time of being able to keep quiet, as the women around her did all the talking for her, the young brunette nodding when appropriate. Draco did his best to avoid company he did not wish to keep, only unsuccessfully avoiding one or two random strangers he only vaguely knew through name coming up to him to congratulate him on "snagging" the perfect woman.

He finally managed to isolate a small corner to himself, leaning against the support beam as he took a breather; he let his eye lids fall shut, banging his head lightly against the beam. The worst part would soon be over, but the misery was not going to stop there; he had to live with a woman he could never love, and had stolen her from the one who deserved her more then anyone else in the world. Without thinking he groped at his neck, pausing as the action reminded him of the same habit Ron had developed every since he had given the redhead that pendent for Christmas. Draco curled his hands into fists; the minute he saw that pendent in the window he knew he just had to get it for Ron. The meaning behind it, the dual images that were implemented into the design – it had been made for a lover, for a life-time partner who he had planned to spend the rest of his life with. He was ready to committee himself fully to Ron once the engagement had been called off, but now he realised that it had been nothing more then a fantasy. He should've known his father was just as bull-headed as him when it came to something he wanted; if the elder Malfoy wished to see his son married to a woman, then that was exactly what he would get, and it didn't matter who had been hurt along the way. Draco gripped at his chest; what hurt the most was that it wasn't his father this time who hurt Ron – it was him. He chose to break Ron's heart in order to keep him away from him; if he had told Ron the truth, about Jason, Draco had no doubt in his mind that the redhead would've just been all the more stubborn and stayed no matter what the consequences.

He let out a silent sigh – he'd have to get back to the guests soon or else some gossip-prone bitch was bound to start rumors of him sneaking off at his own reception to fuck another woman. Draco pushed himself away from the beam and was just about to walk back towards the gathering when a flash of red caught his attention. He quickly turned his gaze to the freshly trimmed green hedges that acted as a fake gate surrounding the club.

'Draco!' He turned his head to the sound of his name, quickly turning back to where the brief flash of red had been, but now it was gone and all that was left was an empty space. He had only looked away for a split second, but there was no doubt in his mind that that flash had been Ron. He felt a rough hand grab him by the arm, and he didn't have to look to know that it was Blaise tugging at his arm, glaring at him harshly.

'Mind explaining to me what the _fuck_ you're doing!' He demanded, the deep sultry voice was a contrast to the handsome beauty earthly features exposed. Draco gazed blankly at the spot where the redhead had been standing just a second ago, before turning to face one of the few true friends he had left. He noticed Pansy come up behind the dark skinned man, a frown on her face and arms crossed over her chest; he knew neither of them would approve of his reasoning, but he felt no need to justify himself and would accept whatever hits they dealt him as he slowly began explaining everything that had happened in these short two months.

**-8-**

Ron trudged his way to the door, pausing a moment outside as he gathered himself together; why'd he even bother to go see the blond when he decided he had no intentions of telling him in the first place. Letting out a soft sigh, he reached for the spare key his friends had lent him; he would have to go back to his own flat soon. Bad enough Harry and Hermione had to deal with Timaues on a daily basis, they didn't need a moody, depressed, heart-broken man like him to add to it.

'I'm back; sorry for intruding, and I – mum!' Ron jumped slightly as he spotted his mother sitting next to Hermione on the sofa; Timaues was squirming happily in his mother's arms, Hermione gently holding his hands away as he tried to pull on her hair. Molly was up on her feet the minute she heard Ron's voice, the redhead still looking at her surprised.

'Mum – what are you do-oof!' Ron startled a little as the elder woman threw her arms around him in a tight hug, holding her youngest son close to her.

'Oh Ron – I'm so sorry about what happened! Hermione's told me everything!' She replied, pulling back from the hug as she gazed up at him with worrying eyes. The colour drained from Ron's face as he stared at his mother apprehensively.

'E-everything?' He gulped; Molly gave him a stern look as she nodded her head.

'_Every_thing.' She answered seriously; Ron shifted his eyes to the side, holding his arm as a slight look of shame crossed his face. The Weasley matron's gaze softened, gently brushing his hair behind his ears as she held his face with her hands.

'Is this why you were so hesitate about telling us who your boyfriend was?' She asked softly; Ron nodded his head meekly, staring down at the floor.

'I w-wanted to warm you up to the idea, you know – get to know h-him before actually meeting him. He was different,' his face scrunched up in a scowl, growling a little as he spoke. 'Least – I _thought_ he was…'

Molly shushed gently before urging him to sit down on the sofa with Hermione; the dark haired woman glanced at him questioningly, adjusting her hold on the toddler in her arms.

'Did you tell him?' Ron shook his head.

'No – far as I'm concerned that fuc – the bloody bastard doesn't deserve to know!' He growled, censoring him as he spoke. While he figured Timaues was still too young to remember it, or even understand what it meant, he did it more for his mother's sake then anything else. Though right now, Molly was more concerned for her son's well being than the kind of words that were coming out of his mouth. She sat him down next to his best friend, cooing softly at Timaues before offering to make them tea. Hermione fussed with her saying that Molly was a guest, but Ron chided the first-time mother and the woman gave up, telling the elder Weasley where to find the pot and the tea bags. Molly nodded and headed towards the kitchen to brew up some tea; she needed something to keep her hands busy as worry and fear took over her. Ron had always been more emotionally delicate than her other children, and while he had always tried to hide it, Molly could always see right through his tough act and badger him out in the open about it when it was just the two of them alone. She knew Draco had been special to him, and then had been carelessly thrown to the side; she couldn't even begin to imagine the kind of pain her son was going through right now. Her thoughts wandered back to Arthur's accident; she thought she was going to lose him and while it was not the same situation, she didn't think she could carry on without her husband. Molly brushed the thoughts aside temporarily as she searched for the pot and the tea as Hermione had told where to find them, filling the kettle with water and set it up to boil.

Ron sat as he watched Hermione keep her son entertained, trying her best to make the silly faces Timaues enjoyed so much, but she just couldn't put her heart into it. The redhead reached a gentle hand out for his friend's shoulder, getting the woman to look over at him; he couldn't burden them any longer – not when they had a baby to look after.

'I appreciate that you gave me a key and all, but I think it's best if I went back to my own flat.' Hermione shook her head vigorously, taking hold of his hand.

'Oh no – keep it Ron! And please, Harry and I don't mind if you stay with us. We've got plenty of room, so if that's your concern…'

'Hermione – Timaues is barely even one year old, he needs your attention almost 24/7, and… he doesn't need some depressed stranger hanging around him.' Hermione wouldn't let go of his hand; while everything he said was true, there was no way she and Harry could let him go back to his place alone. Although she was glad she forced him to see the doctor and do the test, they never know what he would do right now in his current state.

'Please Ron – I prefer to know we can watch over you.' Ron gave her a bitter smile; while he wished he could stay with them, have their comfort and their love, it wasn't his right to take them away from their son who needed that more. He let out a soft sigh and wished that Remus and Sirius were still in England; they had been the ones who comforted him back when he was teen when his previous "boyfriends" had taken his heart and torn it to pieces. Sadly, once he and Harry had managed to stand on their own, Sirius and Remus decided to travel and see the rest of the world; last he heard they were still in Italy and when they would come back to England was up in the air.

'You could always move back with me and your father, dear?' Molly suggested as she stood in the doorway of the kitchen, having overheard their conversation. Ron looked at his mother before shaking his head, staring down at the floor.

'No – no, I couldn't; I don't want to burden anyone.' The elder matron wouldn't listen; she marched on over to where her son was sitting, taking him by the hands as she gave him a soft smile.

'I'd feel better about it…'

'…I know dad's accepted my sexuality and all, but – I think this might be a bit much for him. _I'm_ still having a hard time believing it.' Molly gently shushed him, raking her fingers through his hair.

'If that man has a problem with it, I'll damn well make him accept it! You're our son, Ron – we never should've treated you like we did these past eight years.' She stated; Ron gave her a small smile, feeling his heart soar slightly as his mother turned into her maternal, over-protective mode – the mode he had been used to growing up before the distain and apathy. Molly gave him a kiss on the forehead, before hearing the small shrill of the kettle boiling, quickly going to shut it off and prepare the tea.

Ron slumped back against the sofa, Hermione giving him a soft gaze as Timaues suddenly let out a huge yawn, curling up against his mother as he tried to fight off sleep after wasting so much energy earlier before. The redhead stared down at his stomach, gently putting his hands over it as a sigh escaped him; it was already beginning to show slightly and he was beginning to have trouble feeling comfortable with most pair of pants he owned. He tossed his head back against the couch, closing his eyes as he kept his hands over his stomach – over the only permanent reminder that at one point in his life, Draco Malfoy had loved him.

Hermione shook his shoulder gently, silently asking if he was going to be all right; Ron nodded his head in response to the silent question, habitually reaching a hand for the pendent still hanging around his neck. A small part of him had to wonder why he even considered letting Draco know what was happening inside of him right now; if the blond was able to toss him aside that easily, then he had just tossed aside two people of one he'll never ever have the pleasure of knowing.

**-- End --**


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